The IGNITE for Kids Study on Concentrated Investment in Black Neighborhoods and Child Health and Well-Being

NCT05760001 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 850178b
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 221
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Black children and adults in the United States fare worse across nearly every health indicator compared to White individuals. In Philadelphia, the location of this study, these health disparities result in a stark longevity gap, with average life expectancies in poor, predominantly Black neighborhoods being 20 years lower than in nearby affluent, predominantly White neighborhoods. The investigators will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a suite of place- based and financial-wellbeing interventions at the community, organization, and individual/household levels that address the social determinants of racial health disparities. At the community level, the investigators address underinvestment in Black neighborhoods by implementing vacant lot greening, abandoned house remediation, tree planting, and trash cleanup. At the organization level, the investigators partner with community-based financial empowerment providers to develop cross-organizational infrastructure to increase reach and maximize efficiency. At the individual/household levels, the investigators increase access to public benefits, financial counseling and tax preparation services, and emergency cash assistance. The investigators will test this "big push" intervention in 60 Black neighborhood micro-clusters, with a total of 480 children. The investigators hypothesize that this "big push" intervention will have significant impact on children's health and wellbeing.

Conditions

Financial Stress; Economic Problems; Environmental Exposure; Health Behavior; Health, Subjective; Mental Health Wellness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 28 (CHQ-PF28) Composite Score

  Composite index using CHQ-28 scoring method, based on a series of 28 questions focused on overall child health, activity limitation, emotional/behavioral difficulties, mood, relationships, and family cohesion. (Child Health Questionnaire)

  24 months

Secondary Outcomes (25)

• Parent-reported child health

  24 months

• Caregiver-reported child health care utilization, well child visits

  24 months

• Caregiver-reported child health care utilization, sick clinic visits

  24 months

• Caregiver-reported child health care utilization, emergency room visits

  24 months

• Caregiver-reported child health care utilization, hospitalization

  24 months

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

At the individual level, participants in the intervention arm will receive place-based and financial well-being interventions. These will include, at the individual level: * Tax preparation * Access to public benefits * Financial counseling and microgrants At the neighborhood level: * Abandoned house remediation * Trash cleanup * Vacant lot greening * Tree planting

Other: Assigned Interventions

Control Arm

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control arm will not receive any of the listed interventions

Interventions

Assigned Interventions OTHER

Financial well-being interventions: • Tax preparation; access to public benefits; financial counseling and microgrants Place-based interventions: • Vacant lot greening; abandoned house remediation; trash cleanup; tree planting

Intervention Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Child is between the ages of 3 and 17 years at the start of the trial (between the ages of 5 and 19 years at the end of the trial)
• Parent/caregiver is at least 18 years of age
• Parent/caregiver has the ability to communicate via text messaging
• Parent/caregiver is comfortable communicating in English
• Child is a permanent resident of the home where they are to be enrolled
• Parent/caregiver has knowledge of their household finances

You may not qualify if:

• Children who plan to move out of the study microcluster within 6 months
• Children whose caregivers are unable to fully consent and participate based on CC team assessment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania: lead
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Financial Stress; Health Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Atheendar Venkataramani, MD, PhD

  University of Pennsylvania

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Eugenia South, MD, MSHP

  University of Pennsylvania

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Aditi Vasan, MD, MSHP

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: The investigators are not masked. Our recruitment team will be masked until cluster recruitment is complete. The outcomes assessor will be masked.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 23, 2023
• First Posted: March 8, 2023
• Study Start: June 10, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: March 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)