Summer Youth Employment Programs for Health Promotion

NCT07227220 | Completed Early Phase 1 Results

• 2 other identifiers: STUDY00005180U54MD015946
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 15
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this proof-of-concept study is to assess the initial signal of effectiveness of summer youth employment programs (SYEP) on understudied obesity-related outcomes in adolescents. This small-scale study is essential to identify early success and refine the intervention before scaling to a larger, more resource-intensive randomized trial. Specifically, this one-group pre-posttest study will: Aim 1 (Primary): Evaluate if a 6-week SYEP provides an initial signal for effectiveness (maintenance or decrease in zBMI) over the summer. Hypothesis 1: Adolescents who participated in a SYEP will maintain or decrease their BMI over the summer. Aim 2 (Secondary): Evaluate changes in obesogenic behaviors (physical activity, sleep, sedentary, and diet) over the summer. Hypothesis 2: Adolescents who participated in a SYEP will increase physical activity, reduce sedentary behavior, and improve sleep and diet quality over the summer. Aim 3 (Secondary): Evaluate the feasibility of SYEP for obesity prevention intervention to inform intervention scalability. Hypothesis 3: The SYEP program will be a feasible and acceptable intervention strategy for the prevention of obesity in adolescents over the summer.

Conditions

Obesity, Childhood; Behavior, Health; Healthy Lifestyle

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Age- and Sex-Specific Body Mass Index (BMI)-For-Age Z-Score (zBMI) From Baseline to Week 6

  Height and weight will be directly measured by trained staff. Each measurement will be taken twice, and the average will be used for analysis. Body mass index (BMI) will be calculated and expressed as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) age- and sex-specific BMI-for-age z-scores (zBMI). The outcome will represent the change in zBMI from baseline to Week 6. A positive change score will indicate an increase (gain) in zBMI from baseline to Week 6, which will be considered a less favorable outcome. A negative change score will indicate a decrease in zBMI, which will be considered a favorable outcome. A change score of 0 will indicate no change in zBMI (maintenance), which will also be considered a favorable outcome for this intervention because preventing excess BMI gain during summer is a primary goal.

  Baseline and Week 6 (post)

Secondary Outcomes (11)

• Change in Sedentary Behavior From Baseline to Week 6

  Baseline and Week 6 (post)

• Change in Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) From Baseline to Week 6

  Baseline and Week 6 (post)

• Change in Sleep Duration From Baseline to Week 6

  Baseline and Week 6 (post)

• Change in Screen Time From Baseline to Week 6

  Baseline and Week 6 (post)

• Change in Unhealthy Food Intake From Baseline to Week 6

  Baseline and Week 6 (post)

Study Arms (1)

Summer Youth Employment Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will work as junior summer camp counselors at a University of Houston camp, up to 24 hours/week, Monday-Thursday, 8:30 AM-3:30 PM (with a 12-1 PM lunch break), for six weeks from mid-June to the end of July. Participants will assist senior counselors with indoor/outdoor activities such as games, enrichment, and academics. On Fridays, from 10 AM to 12 PM, participants will attend professional development workshops on topics such as communication, teamwork, resume building, and job search skills. From 12-2:30 PM, undergraduate staff will lead social activities and mentoring.

Behavioral: Summer Youth Employment Program

Interventions

Summer Youth Employment Program BEHAVIORAL

The intervention aims to employ adolescents in paid positions for six weeks during the summer, providing them with a structured, routine-based, and adult-supervised environment similar to that of the school year.

Summer Youth Employment Program

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Age 14-17 years at the time of enrollment, in accordance with Texas Child Labor Law
• Willing to work at the summer camp for six consecutive weeks
• Able to pass the employment admission procedure (job interview)
• Able to obtain parental consent and provide assent for study participation

You may not qualify if:

• Currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant, due to physical activity restrictions and potential weight changes that could confound study results
• Diagnosis of an intellectual and/or physical disability requiring specialized employment regulations or intervention strategies
• Participation in a health promotion intervention within the past six months

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Houston: lead
• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Houston

Houston, Texas, 77204, United States

Location

Related Publications (4)

• Czajkowski SM, Powell LH, Adler N, Naar-King S, Reynolds KD, Hunter CM, Laraia B, Olster DH, Perna FM, Peterson JC, Epel E, Boyington JE, Charlson ME. From ideas to efficacy: The ORBIT model for developing behavioral treatments for chronic diseases. Health Psychol. 2015 Oct;34(10):971-82. doi: 10.1037/hea0000161. Epub 2015 Feb 2.

  PMID: 25642841 BACKGROUND

• Pierce B, Bowden B, McCullagh M, Diehl A, Chissell Z, Rodriguez R, Berman BM, D Adamo CR. A Summer Health Program for African-American High School Students in Baltimore, Maryland: Community Partnership for Integrative Health. Explore (NY). 2017 May-Jun;13(3):186-197. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2017.02.002. Epub 2017 Feb 24.

  PMID: 28373062 BACKGROUND

• Yazel-Smith L, El-Mikati HK, Adjei M, Haberlin-Pittz KM, Agnew M, Hannon TS. Integrating Diabetes Prevention Education Among Teenagers Involved in Summer Employment: Encouraging Environments for Health in Adolescence (ENHANCE). J Community Health. 2020 Aug;45(4):856-861. doi: 10.1007/s10900-020-00802-2.

  PMID: 32146639 BACKGROUND

• Modestino AS, Paulsen RJ. Reducing inequality summer by summer: Lessons from an evaluation of the Boston Summer Youth Employment Program. Eval Program Plann. 2019 Feb;72:40-53. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.09.006. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

  PMID: 30296721 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity; Health Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Obesity; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Aliye Beyza Cepni
• Organization: University of Houston

abcepni@cougarnet.uh.edu

713-743-2411

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: early phase 1
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Single group pre- and post-test design

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 4, 2025
• First Posted: November 12, 2025
• Study Start: March 31, 2025
• Primary Completion: July 7, 2025
• Study Completion: July 29, 2025
• Last Updated: July 27, 2026
• Results First Posted: July 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-10

Locations

US (1)