School Nurse Intervention and After School Exercise Program for Overweight Teens

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2

Conditions: Overweight; Obesity

Treatments: Behavioral: Information attention-control; Behavioral: Lookin' Good Feelin' Good

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01463124

R21HL110208

Details and patient eligibility

About

Adolescent overweight and obesity have increased dramatically in the past several decades. High schools are well-positioned to deliver weight loss treatment to overweight and obese adolescents, as they have the facilities and staff to deliver a physical activity program, school nurses with the skills to provide counseling, and are easily accessible by adolescents. This exploratory study will test the feasibility and ability of a school-based intervention, consisting of school nurse counseling and a school-based exercise program, to reduce BMI and improve dietary quality, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors in overweight and obese adolescents. If effective, this could prove to be a cost-effective and relatively easy intervention to disseminate widely for significant public health impact.

Enrollment: 126 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 13 to 18 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• enrolled in grades 9 - 12
• BMI > 85th percentile for age/sex
• able to understand and participate in the study
• able and willing to provide informed assent (adolescent) and consent (parent)
• English-speaking with at least one English-speaking parent

Exclusion criteria

• planning to move out of the area within the next 8 months
• medical condition that precludes adherence to study dietary recommendations (e.g., pregnancy, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis)
• diagnosis of a serious psychiatric illness (e.g., psychiatric hospitalization, eating disorder, suicidal) within the past 5 years
• genetic or endocrine causes of obesity (e.g., pradi Willi, Cushing's Syndrome)
• developmental delay that would prevent participation in the intervention or measurements
• prescribed medications associated with weight gain (e.g.,oral steroids)
• morbidly obese, defined as weighing > 300 pounds

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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126 participants in 2 patient groups

Lookin' Good Feelin' Good

Experimental group

Description:

Six 30-minute individual student-centered counseling sessions delivered by school nurses during the first two months followed by weekly weigh-ins and monthly visits over the subsequent 6 months, plus an exercise program in the school 3 times a week for the full eight months of the intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Lookin' Good Feelin' Good

Information attention-control

Active Comparator group

Description:

Six individual sessions with school nurse over the first two months followed by monthly visits over the remaining 6 months to check weight and behavior changes and provide a series of pamphlets on weight and weight management.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information attention-control