Volunteering and Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents
How Volunteer Programs Affect Health and Well-being in Low-income Youth
1 other identifier
interventional
106
1 country
1
Brief Summary
This study tested whether getting youth engaged in helping others (volunteering) would benefit youth's physical health. 106 predominantly minority and low socioeconomic status (SES) youth were randomized to either volunteer weekly with elementary school children in after school programs or to a wait-list control group. The investigators hypothesized that cardiovascular risk markers of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), total cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI) would be lower at post-intervention (4 months after baseline) in the volunteer group compared to the control group. The investigators also hypothesized that the intervention might work through pathways such as reducing negative mood, improving self esteem, and increasing prosocial behaviors (empathy, altruism).
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable
Started Sep 2011
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
September 1, 2011
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
January 1, 2012
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
January 1, 2012
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
September 21, 2012
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
October 2, 2012
CompletedOctober 4, 2012
October 1, 2012
4 months
September 21, 2012
October 2, 2012
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (4)
Body mass index
Baseline-adjusted post-intervention scores at 4 months
C-reactive protein
Baseline-adjusted post-intervention scores at 4 months
Interleukin-6
Baseline-adjusted post-intervention scores at 4 months
Total Cholesterol
Baseline-adjusted post-intervention scores at 4 months
Study Arms (2)
Volunteering
EXPERIMENTALWeekly volunteering with elementary school children in after school programs
Control
NO INTERVENTIONWait-list control
Interventions
Weekly volunteering with elementary school children in after school programs
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- th grade high school student
- English speaking
- No chronic illnesses
You may not qualify if:
- Chronic medical illness
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- University of British Columbialead
- William T. Grant Foundationcollaborator
- HopeLab Foundationcollaborator
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canadacollaborator
Study Sites (1)
Vancouver Technical Secondary School
Vancouver, British Columbia, V5M1Y5, Canada
Related Publications (1)
Schreier HM, Schonert-Reichl KA, Chen E. Effect of volunteering on risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2013 Apr;167(4):327-32. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.1100.
PMID: 23440253DERIVED
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Edith Chen
Northwestern University
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
September 21, 2012
First Posted
October 2, 2012
Study Start
September 1, 2011
Primary Completion
January 1, 2012
Study Completion
January 1, 2012
Last Updated
October 4, 2012
Record last verified: 2012-10