B'More Healthy; Communities for Kids (BHCK)

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obesity

Treatments: Behavioral: Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02181010

111189

Details and patient eligibility

About

The BHCK study will develop, implement, and evaluate a community-based obesity prevention program, which operates at multiple levels of an urban food system (policy, wholesaler, corner stores, carryout, household, individual; in Baltimore, MD), and will improve the healthy food supply chain to increase affordability, availability, purchasing and consumption of healthy foods within low-income, minority neighborhoods.

Full description

Our overarching goal is to develop and evaluate a community-based obesity prevention program, which operates at multiple levels of an urban food system (policy, wholesaler, corner stores, carryout, household, individual; in Baltimore, MD), and will improve the healthy food supply chain to increase affordability, availability, purchasing and consumption of healthy foods within low-income minority neighborhoods. Our research will include stakeholders/ partners at different levels, e.g., the policy, wholesaler, retailer, adult caregiver, and individual child levels, and then develop, implement, and assess a two year multi-level systems-based child obesity prevention strategy targeting minority and low-income children (predominantly AA). Thirty low-income, predominantly AA geographic zones will be identified ("healthy eating zones"). Half of these zones will be randomized to intervention, while the other half will be control. Within each intervention zone we will work with 3-5 small food stores and prepared food sources to increase access to healthy foods through wholesaler discounts, display point of purchase promotional materials, and provide nutrition and food preparation education targeting youth and caregivers. We will work with local policymakers to institutionalize and sustain these changes.

The project will evaluate the impact of the program on: a) healthy food pricing and availability, b) low income African American adult food purchasing and preparation, and c) low-income African American youth diet, and associated psychosocial factors.

Enrollment: 890 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 9 to 100 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Child participants:

9-14 years of age Living within one of the intervention neighborhoods Family does not anticipate moving outside of the study area during the duration of intervention

Inclusion Criteria for Adult Caregiver participants:

Parent/ legal guardian of a child ages 9-14 years of age Living within one of the intervention neighborhoods Family does not anticipate moving outside of the study area during the duration of intervention

Exclusion criteria:

Families that do not have a child within the age range Families that do not live within the neighborhoods in the study area Families who will move outside the study area within the intervention timeframe

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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890 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention is a multi-level, multi-component intervention designed to increase access to and consumption of healthier foods in low-income, urban, minority neighborhoods. Intervention components will occur at the policy level; food wholesaler level; small food retail outlet level; neighborhood level; household level.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Intervention

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Similar to many community- based public health research programs, the control arm will not receive any intervention components during the initial intervention period. However, after all assessments are completed they will receive a 'delayed intervention' protocol, where the community receives the intervention elements as described in the intervention arm after assessment measures have been completed.