Healthy Futures Project: A Community Based Obesity Prevention Program

Summary

The purpose of this research is to increase community awareness about the relationship between physical activity, screen time, and nutrition and how these factors influence healthy weight management.

The problem of obesity is at epidemic proportions and has become the most important public health problem confronting the United States today. Of greatest concern is the 300% increase in obesity rates among children and youth over the past twenty years. Childhood obesity is a precursor of adult obesity.

Conditions

• Overweight
• Obesity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Switch active lifestyles brought to you by MediaWise

The Switch™ Program is a unique community and family-based behavior change initiative that helps motivate children to change three critical health behaviors that are risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity.

BEHAVIORAL

Switch active lifestyles from MediaWise

1300 students (male and female) were recruited through two separate school districts in Lakeville, Minnesota and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Informed consents went to all students who chose to participate. Demonstration and Control school were randomly selected. Baseline data was collected regarding physical activity, screen time, and nutrition, standard body measurements, and baseline data, and salivary cortisol levels were taken. Parent and teacher surveys were also conducted. After baseline selected demonstration sites and students were provided with information focused on improving healthy behaviors while the control sites served as matched comparison groups.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fairview Health Services

  collaborator OTHER

• Medica

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Healthy and Active America Foundation,

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Cargill

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Spunk Design Machine

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Iowa State University

  collaborator OTHER

• Michigan State University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Minnesota

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute on Media and the Family

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Dave Walsh, Ph.D. · National Institute on Media and the Family

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

8 Years

Max Age

13 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2005-10-31

Primary Completion

2006-12-31

Completion

2006-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations