Volunteering and Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents

University of British Columbia

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Treatments: Behavioral: Volunteering

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01698034

H11-00943

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study tested whether getting youth engaged in helping others (volunteering) would benefit youth's physical health. 106 predominantly minority and low socioeconomic status (SES) youth were randomized to either volunteer weekly with elementary school children in after school programs or to a wait-list control group. The investigators hypothesized that cardiovascular risk markers of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), total cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI) would be lower at post-intervention (4 months after baseline) in the volunteer group compared to the control group. The investigators also hypothesized that the intervention might work through pathways such as reducing negative mood, improving self esteem, and increasing prosocial behaviors (empathy, altruism).

Enrollment: 106 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 10th grade high school student
• English speaking
• No chronic illnesses

Exclusion criteria

• Chronic medical illness

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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106 participants in 2 patient groups

Volunteering

Experimental group

Description:

Weekly volunteering with elementary school children in after school programs

Treatment:

Behavioral: Volunteering

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Wait-list control