Study to Evaluate the Health and Wellness Policies of the New Haven Public School District.

NCT02043626 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 10080072955R01HD070740
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 796
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Our long-term objective is to reduce the rates and risk of childhood obesity via school-based nutrition and physical activity policies. Using a randomized design, we propose to monitor and evaluate how Connecticut's first-ranked District Wellness Policy, in the New Haven Public School district, is implemented and determine its impact on children's obesogenic behaviors, weight outcomes, and school performance. This study is designed to significantly advance empirical research on school wellness policies and to provide important evidence to guide future interventions in schools and communities - translating science to improved health of the public.

Conditions

Chronic Diseases; Obesity

Keywords

childhood nutrition; physical activity; school wellness; school health; nutritional policies; childhood obesity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in body mass index (BMI).

  Body weight and height to calculate BMI annually from baseline (grade 5) through follow-up (grade 8)

  Baseline through Follow-up: Grades 5-6-7-8

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Change in student nutritional habits (eating behaviors).

  Baseline through Follow-up: Grades 5-6-7-8

• Change in level of physical activity.

  Baseline through Follow-up: Grades 5-6-7-8

• Mental Health

  Baseline through Follow-up: Grades 5-6-7-8

• Standardized test scores

  Baseline through Follow-up: Grades 5-6-7-8

Study Arms (4)

Physical Activity Only

EXPERIMENTAL

Students in 3 designated study schools will receive educational intervention and increased opportunities for physical activity.

Other: OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Delayed Interventions Only

NO INTERVENTION

Students in 3 designated schools will receive educational interventions on health topics not related to nutrition or physical activity (i.e. peer relations, sleep, dental care, etc.)

Nutrition and Physical Activity

EXPERIMENTAL

Students in 3 designated schools will receive nutrition education, nutrition standards for foods sold, and opportunities for physical activity.

Other: DISTRICT WELLNESS COMMITTEE; Other: NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF FOODS AND BEVERAGES ON CAMPUS; Other: HEALTH PROMOTION AND MARKETING; Other: OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Nutrition Only Interventions

EXPERIMENTAL

Students in 3 designated study schools will receive multiple interventions regarding nutrition education and nutrition standards for foods sold.

Other: NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF FOODS AND BEVERAGES ON CAMPUS

Interventions

DISTRICT WELLNESS COMMITTEE OTHER

Three Targeted Schools (N+PA) will expand the District's school based wellness initiative, PAW-Physical Activity and Wellness. With District support, PAW schools develop School Wellness Teams (SWTs) to identify school health priorities, implement and sustain health initiatives through school campaigns, promote healthy behavior, and support wellness policies. Results from a 3-year evaluation suggest significant and sustained positive impact on school health culture, student behavior, time-on-task, and increased physical activity among students.

Nutrition and Physical Activity

NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF FOODS AND BEVERAGES ON CAMPUS OTHER

Policy changes will focus on 6 target schools. District will expand nutrition education by integrating other opportunities to learn and practice healthy behaviors across disciplines. Farm-to-School programs will include school visits by farmers to teach students about agriculture, healthy foods and nutrition, coinciding with Farmer's Market Menu Days. Schools will receive four 45 minute nutrition workshops per year. Community educators will offer culturally appropriate, interactive nutrition workshops and cooking demonstrations. Cafeterias will receive youth friendly nutritional messaging, regular promotion of new menu foods, and a variety of monthly nutrition-focused activities. The goals are to: increase number of students who try new menu items regularly, increase acceptance of healthy foods, and improve nutrition literacy. Policy states schools will limit celebrations that involve food to no more than 1 per class/month: 6 schools will pilot alternatives to food for celebrations.

Nutrition Only Interventions; Nutrition and Physical Activity

HEALTH PROMOTION AND MARKETING OTHER

SWP addresses health promotion and marketing by limiting product marketing in schools, expanding nutrition education and broadening health communication with parents. In 3 targeted schools, we expand to include Staff Wellness Promotion. Adults in schools are trusted and influential role models for students; by increasing their positive health behaviors, students may be influenced to adopt similar behaviors. The District will work with the City's Employee Wellness Program to increase school staff participation.

Nutrition and Physical Activity

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OTHER

District-wide policies include mandates for daily physical activity and PE and development of policies that prohibit withholding PE for punitive reasons. To further increase physical activity, the School Wellness Policy specifies expanding programs/activities that meet need, interest, and abilities of students. Exer-gaming consoles will be provided to 6 schools and will be integrated into 5th-8th grade PE classes and after-school programs. New and innovate gym equipment will be purchased for the 6 target schools for use in gym class and after school programming. Various pedometer and interactive programs encouraging physical activity in and outside of school are planned for the 6th grade.

Nutrition and Physical Activity; Physical Activity Only

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 9 Years - 14 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Student of the New Haven School District--State of Connecticut
• Enrolled in 12 eligible schools participating in study
• Child between the ages of 9 and 14 or in grades 5-8 as of the fall of 2011
• Primary Language of communication is English

You may not qualify if:

• Not enrolled in one of 12 participating schools
• Not in target grade (5-8) as of the fall 2011

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Yale University: lead
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, United States

Location

Related Publications (16)

• Ickovics JR, Carroll-Scott A, Peters SM, Schwartz M, Gilstad-Hayden K, McCaslin C. Health and academic achievement: cumulative effects of health assets on standardized test scores among urban youth in the United States. J Sch Health. 2014 Jan;84(1):40-8. doi: 10.1111/josh.12117.

  PMID: 24320151 BACKGROUND

• Kallem S, Carroll-Scott A, Rosenthal L, Chen E, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Ickovics JR. Shift-and-persist: a protective factor for elevated BMI among low-socioeconomic-status children. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013 Sep;21(9):1759-63. doi: 10.1002/oby.20195. Epub 2013 May 13.

  PMID: 23671041 BACKGROUND

• Kallem S, Carroll-Scott A, Gilstad-Hayden K, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Ickovics JR. Children's report of lifestyle counseling differs by BMI status. Child Obes. 2013 Jun;9(3):216-22. doi: 10.1089/chi.2012.0100. Epub 2013 Apr 30.

  PMID: 23631343 BACKGROUND

• Wang S, Schwartz MB, Shebl FM, Read M, Henderson KE, Ickovics JR. School breakfast and body mass index: a longitudinal observational study of middle school students. Pediatr Obes. 2017 Jun;12(3):213-220. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12127. Epub 2016 Mar 17.

  PMID: 26989876 BACKGROUND

• Carroll-Scott A, Gilstad-Hayden K, Rosenthal L, Eldahan A, McCaslin C, Peters SM, Ickovics JR. Associations of Neighborhood and School Socioeconomic and Social Contexts With Body Mass Index Among Urban Preadolescent Students. Am J Public Health. 2015 Dec;105(12):2496-502. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302882. Epub 2015 Oct 15.

  PMID: 26469652 BACKGROUND

• Chandler I, Rosenthal L, Carroll-Scott A, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Ickovics JR. Adolescents Who Visit the Emergency Department Are More Likely to Make Unhealthy Dietary Choices: An Opportunity for Behavioral Intervention. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2015 Aug;26(3):701-11. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2015.0086.

  PMID: 26320906 BACKGROUND

• Schwartz DL, Gilstad-Hayden K, Carroll-Scott A, Grilo SA, McCaslin C, Schwartz M, Ickovics JR. Energy drinks and youth self-reported hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. Acad Pediatr. 2015 May-Jun;15(3):297-304. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.11.006. Epub 2015 Feb 9.

  PMID: 25676784 BACKGROUND

• Schwartz MB, Gilstad-Hayden K, Henderson KE, Luedicke J, Carroll-Scott A, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Ickovics JR. The Relationship between Parental Behaviors and Children's Sugary Drink Consumption Is Moderated by a Television in the Child's Bedroom. Child Obes. 2015 Oct;11(5):560-8. doi: 10.1089/chi.2014.0041. Epub 2015 Aug 28.

  PMID: 26317365 BACKGROUND

• Rosenthal L, Earnshaw VA, Carroll-Scott A, Henderson KE, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Ickovics JR. Weight- and race-based bullying: health associations among urban adolescents. J Health Psychol. 2015 Apr;20(4):401-12. doi: 10.1177/1359105313502567. Epub 2013 Oct 22.

  PMID: 24155192 BACKGROUND

• Jernigan MM, Rosenthal L, Carroll-Scott A, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Ickovics JR. Emotional Health Predicts Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI-z) Among Black and Latino Youth. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2015 Jun;54(7):693-6. doi: 10.1177/0009922815574080. Epub 2015 Feb 26. No abstract available.

  PMID: 25724990 BACKGROUND

• Smith LP, Gilstad-Hayden K, Carroll-Scott A, Ickovics J. High waist circumference is associated with elevated blood pressure in non-Hispanic White but not Hispanic children in a cohort of pre-adolescent children. Pediatr Obes. 2014 Dec;9(6):e145-8. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.246. Epub 2014 Jul 3.

  PMID: 24990227 BACKGROUND

• Gilstad-Hayden K, Carroll-Scott A, Rosenthal L, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Ickovics JR. Positive school climate is associated with lower body mass index percentile among urban preadolescents. J Sch Health. 2014 Aug;84(8):502-6. doi: 10.1111/josh.12177.

  PMID: 25040118 BACKGROUND

• Earnshaw VA, Rosenthal L, Carroll-Scott A, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Ickovics JR. Teacher Involvement as a Protective Factor from the Association between Race-Based Bullying and Smoking Initiation. Soc Psychol Educ. 2014 Jun 1;17(2):197-209. doi: 10.1007/s11218-014-9250-1.

  PMID: 24955021 BACKGROUND

• Carroll-Scott A, Gilstad-Hayden K, Rosenthal L, Peters SM, McCaslin C, Joyce R, Ickovics JR. Disentangling neighborhood contextual associations with child body mass index, diet, and physical activity: the role of built, socioeconomic, and social environments. Soc Sci Med. 2013 Oct;95:106-14. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.04.003. Epub 2013 Apr 10.

  PMID: 23642646 BACKGROUND

• Ickovics JR, Duffany KO, Shebl FM, Peters SM, Read MA, Gilstad-Hayden KR, Schwartz MB. Implementing School-Based Policies to Prevent Obesity: Cluster Randomized Trial. Am J Prev Med. 2019 Jan;56(1):e1-e11. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.08.026.

  PMID: 30573151 DERIVED

• Assoumou SA, Wang J, Tasillo A, Eftekhari Yazdi G, Tsui JI, Strick L, Linas BP. Hepatitis C Testing and Patient Characteristics in Washington State's Prisons Between 2012 and 2016. Am J Prev Med. 2019 Jan;56(1):8-16. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.08.016. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

  PMID: 30467088 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Chronic Disease; Obesity; Motor Activity; Pediatric Obesity

Interventions

Health Promotion; Marketing; Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Health Education; Preventive Health Services; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services; Commerce; Technology, Industry, and Agriculture; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Jeannette Ickovics, PHD

  Yale University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 20, 2014
• First Posted: January 23, 2014
• Study Start: August 1, 2011
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2016
• Study Completion: June 1, 2016
• Last Updated: January 17, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-01

Locations

US (1)