Pilot-Testing a Family-Based Intervention to Improve Child Outcomes and Increase Family Activity (HFDC)

Cassandra Stanton, PhD

Status: Completed

Conditions: Overweight; Obesity; Smoking

Treatments: Behavioral: Healthy Families DC Program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01969760

2013-0614

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a family-based program to improve physical activity and tobacco outcomes in a small pilot of middle school students and their families.

Full description

Low income ethnic minority youth tend to be at greater risk for obesity, physical inactivity, high risk behaviors such as tobacco and substance use and resulting cardiovascular and chronic disease. In this study we modified a tobacco and substance use risk prevention program to develop a tailored intervention (Healthy Families DC) that also included promotion of physical activity (PA) for DC middle-school students referred by school staff as over-weight and at risk for problem behaviors. The program included an initial family assessment, a family feedback session with family PA goal setting and 6 phone/text based booster sessions. A pilot study with 18 families, comprised of at least one caregiver and target child, was conducted to examine feasibility, acceptability, and trends in preliminary outcomes such as PA via self-report and accelerometry, health risk behaviors (e.g., tobacco use), health goal setting, and changes in family functioning (e.g., youth positive behaviors, parenting).

Enrollment: 18 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 12 to 16 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Students aged 12-16 years
• Attending regular education classes at three urban DC public middle schools. -Students must currently reside with at least one parent or guardian who wishes to also participate in this study.
• Students and at least one guardian must be fluent in English

Exclusion criteria

• Adolescents, who are outside the study age range
• Patients/parents unable to speak/read English
• Are wards of the state
• Not attending regular education classes at the public middle schools -Furthermore, adolescents and guardians not assenting/consenting to be in the study will be excluded.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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18 participants in 2 patient groups

Wait-list control

No Intervention group

Description:

Wait-list control. No intervention delivered until post follow-up assessment. Upon completion of the follow-up, the family was offered the full intervention.

Healthy Families DC Program

Experimental group

Description:

Healthy Families DC Program

Treatment:

Behavioral: Healthy Families DC Program