Policy to Practice: Statewide Rollout of YMCA Childhood Obesity Standards

The investigators long term-goal is to help YMCA programs across the nation successfully acheive the Y of USA "Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards". Our objective here is threefold. First, the investigators will work with South Carolina YMCA leadership to achieve the "Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards" and implement our HEPA Strategies in YMCA programs across the state, evaluate the uptake of and adherence to the standards and strategies, and identify factors that influence their implementation. Second, the investigators will evaluate the impact of acheiving the standards on children's MVPA and the serving and consumption of FV and water during the programs. Third, the investigators will evaluate the costs associated with and the cost-effectiveness of meeting the standards in terms of improvements in activity and healthy eating.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Childhood Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

Detailed Description

The investigators research team developed a conceptual framework that identifies critical modifiable levers within Out of School Time programs that can be altered and/or strengthened to reach policy or standards goals. These include the policy environment at the national, state and local levels; characteristics of the individual site, program leadership, staff, and children; and existing outside organizational partnerships. This framework was informed by complex systems change, social ecology, systemic capacity building , and the literature on the impact of public health policy that identifies key elements of the system to be targeted as well as possible influences on those elements.

Viewing OST programs as complex systems, "Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards" represent one of many leverage points within a system. Existing efforts to implement standards rest solely upon the voluntary adoption of the standards, with little to no other changes to the OST program setting. It is clear from our preliminary work and comprehensive reviews that OST programs are falling short of meeting goals set forth in the standards.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 1000
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • South Carolina
    • Columbia, South Carolina, United States, 29201
      • University of South Carolina

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 5 years to 12 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• All children enrolled in participating afterschool programs will be eligible to take part in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any physical/orthopedic impairment that would limit a child's ability to participate in regular physical activity (e.g., wheelchair user).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Intervention; All YMCA programs will receive the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Intervention throughout the study. All programs will receive the HEPA Strategies intervetion to assist them with achievement of the HEPA Standards.	Behavioral: Healthy Eating and Physical Activity; Create partnerships with ASPs to help facilitate changes in programming to meet the National Afterschool Alliance's HEPA Standards.; Other Names: HEPA

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in proportion of children meeting physical activity policy	We will assess the number of children meeting the physical activity policy of 30 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity	Baseline, Fall of Year 2, and Fall of Year 3

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in Nutritional Quality of Snacks	We will assess quality of snacks served at the ASPs in terms of number of fruits and vegetables served per week.	Baseline, Fall of Year 2 and Fall of Year 3

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of South Carolina
• Collaborators: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Michael W Beets, PhD, University of South Carolina

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Beets MW, Glenn Weaver R, Brazendale K, Turner-McGrievy G, Saunders RP, Moore JB, Webster C, Khan M, Beighle A. Statewide dissemination and implementation of physical activity standards in afterschool programs: two-year results. BMC Public Health. 2018 Jul 3;18(1):819. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5737-6.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: August 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 16, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 19, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): March 20, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 18, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 16, 2020
• Last Verified: November 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Overweight; Body Weight; Obesity; Pediatric Obesity
• Other Study ID Numbers: Pro00031161; 1R01HD079422-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)