Role of Structured Days on Weight Gain

NCT03397940 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Pro00065211
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 2,279
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Summer vacation is a 3-month window of vulnerability for children from low-income households when health behaviors and academic learning decay. The goal of this project is to collect information on where low-income children go during summer, what they do when they get there, and how their behaviors (physical activity, sedentary, sleep, and diet) differ between the summer (unstructured days) and school year (structured days). This study is 1) significant because it will provide evidence on potential points of intervention that can reduce or reverse the excessive unhealthy weight gains that occur during summer and 2) innovative because it will be the first to identify changes in activity, sedentary, sleep, and dietary behaviors during prolonged and shorter periodic breaks from school and link these behaviors to changes in zBMI over time.

Conditions

Body Weight; Cardio-respiratory Fitness; Sleep; Nutrition Poor; Physical Activity; Screen Time

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Body Mass Index

  All students enrolled in the partnering schools will have their height and weight measured using standard procedures, as part of their routine PE class. Height and weight will be collected prior to and following every break lasting 3 weeks or longer. These measures will be collected with the help of trained research staff during regularly scheduled PE classes to ensure data quality. This information will be used to compare the BMI (translated into age/sex z-scores \[zBMI\] for analytical modeling) over time and between students attending a year-round school and traditional schools. These tests are valid and reliable for this age group.

  Baseline and will follow up at 4 months, 12 months, 16 months, and 24 months

• Change in Cardiorespiratory Fitness:

  All students enrolled in the partnering schools will take part in the cardiovascular fitness (CVF) test (i.e., PACER) as part of their routine PE class. These tests are administered to this age group and occur as part of regular PE class as part of a South Carolina statewide assessment system.This information will be used to compare the CVF over time and between students attending a year-round school and traditional schools. These tests are valid and reliable for this age group.

  Baseline and will follow up at 4 months, 12 months, 16 months, and 24 months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Change in Sleep

  Baseline and follow up at 3 months, 12 months, and 15 months

• Change in Dietary Behavior

  Baseline and follow up at 3 months, 12 months, and 15 months

• Change in Physical Activity

  Baseline and follow up at 3 months, 12 months, and 15 months

Study Arms (2)

Year Round School

Children attending year round school

Traditional School

Children attending a traditional school with a traditional calendar school year

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 5 Years - 9 Years
• Sex: all
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Three schools (2 traditional and 1 year-round) enrolling 1,279 students have agreed to participate. 85.0% of children in these schools qualify for free and/or reduced price lunch, and 67.5% of children attending these schools are black, 28.5% are white, and 3.6% are Hispanic. The first school was selected to participate because it operates on a year-round calendar. The second and third schools were selected because their enrollment size and student demographics closely match the enrollment and student demographics of the first school. All children in the participating schools will have their height/weight and cardiovascular fitness measured.

You may qualify if:

• K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students without any physical and/or medical conditions that would limit their ability to take part in measurements.

You may not qualify if:

• Children in the 4th and 5th grade will be excluded from participation in the obesogenic behavior assessments because they will move out of elementary school over the two-year study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of South Carolina: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina, 29205, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Weaver RG, Armstrong B, Hunt E, Beets MW, Brazendale K, Dugger R, Turner-McGrievy G, Pate RR, Maydeu-Olivares A, Saelens B, Youngstedt SD. The impact of summer vacation on children's obesogenic behaviors and body mass index: a natural experiment. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2020 Nov 26;17(1):153. doi: 10.1186/s12966-020-01052-0.

  PMID: 33243252 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Body Weight; Malnutrition; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 10, 2017
• First Posted: January 12, 2018
• Study Start: March 1, 2018
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2021
• Study Completion: October 1, 2021
• Last Updated: May 5, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-05

Locations

US (1)