The Use of Pedometers as an Adjunctive Tool in a School-based Pediatric Weight Management Program

Penn State Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obesity

Treatments: Behavioral: Goal-setting group; Behavioral: Control

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00921323

IRB Protocol No. 29778

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is:

• To validate the use of pedometers in assessing the level of physical activity in middle school children.
• To evaluate whether setting a step goal through the use of pedometers could increase physical activity and prevent weight gain in middle school children.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 12 to 14 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All healthy 8th grade students at the Springboard Academy of the Milton Hershey School willing to participate in the study and whose parents give consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Any medical condition that prevents the child from walking during the 12 week study period.
• Non-English speaking student.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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50 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Control

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

The control group will be advised to continue to be physically active and record daily steps

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control

Goal-setting group

Active Comparator group

Description:

This intervention group would be instructed to increase their daily step count by at least 20% above their baseline gradually over 3 months.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Goal-setting group