Strong Teens for Healthy Schools Change Club: A Civic Engagement Approach to Improving Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Environments
Texas A&M University
Summary
Strong Teens for Healthy Schools (STHS) is a school-based, civic engagement program that empowers middle school students to improve their physical activity and healthy eating behaviors, improve their cardiovascular disease outcomes, and create positive change in their school health environments.
Description
The investigators will conduct a cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of the Strong Teens for Healthy Schools (STHS) program on cardiovascular disease-related outcomes. STHS is a multi-level, theory-based civic engagement program to catalyze positive food and physical activity environmental change and improve cardiovascular disease-related health (CVD) outcomes among 6th and 7th-grade students. Title 1 middle schools in Texas (n=20) with \> 40% Hispanic and Black students will be randomized at baseline to the intervention condition (STHS program) or control condition (wi…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 8+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
School Inclusion Criteria: * \> 50 6th and 7th grade students * \> 40% economically disadvantaged students * \> 40% Black and Hispanic students School Exclusion Criteria: Student Inclusion Criteria: * 6th or 7th grade student * Attend a Title 1 middle school that is participating in the STHS intervention * Read and understand English Student Exclusion Criteria: * Participation in a weight loss program in the past 3 months * Presence of a condition that prevents participation in physical activity
Interventions
- BehavioralSTHS Intervention
STHS program The intervention group (10 schools) will participate in the STHS program. During the fall semester (September to December), the intervention group will receive 24 thirty-minute modules (or twelve 1-hour modules) that provide education on civic engagement, healthy eating, and physical activity. During the spring semester (February to May), the intervention group will receive 24 thirty-minute modules (or twelve 1-hour modules) that focus on implementing the school health environmental change project and receive support for maintaining individual-level healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.
- BehavioralUsual Care
No STHS program The usual care group will be offered the same activities as the intervention group after the conclusion of the research study.
Location
- Texas A&M AgriLife Dallas CenterDallas, Texas