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Using Middle School Science Teachers to Address Cancer Health Disparities

NCT07501689 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 1812

Last updated 2026-03-30

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The CARES4You study is testing a middle school science curriculum designed to teach students about cancer risk and prevention. The lessons are taught by regular science teachers during class time and are aligned with national science education standards. The curriculum includes six units (14 lessons) that help students learn about cancer, understand how lifestyle and environmental factors influence risk, and think about ways to make healthy choices.

The study will take place in 10 public middle schools in New York City. Some schools will begin using the CARES4You curriculum right away, while others will continue with their usual science lessons and receive the program later. Researchers will compare the two groups of schools.

The main goal of the study is to see whether the curriculum increases students' intentions to engage in healthy behaviors that may reduce cancer risk. The study will also examine whether students talk more with their caregivers about cancer risk and prevention after participating in the program. Caregivers may also report on some health behaviors in the household.

If the program is effective, CARES4You could provide schools with a practical and sustainable way to teach cancer prevention and promote healthy behaviors among adolescents and their families.

Conditions

  • Cancer Risk Factors
  • Cancer Prevention

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

CARES4You Curriculum

CARES4You is a teacher-delivered middle school science curriculum focused on cancer risk and prevention. Public middle schools in New York City self-select into either an immediate-intervention group or a delayed-intervention group. In both groups, grade-level science teachers deliver the same curriculum during regular 50-minute science classes over approximately five weeks. The program includes six units delivered across 14 lessons, typically taught 4-5 days per week. Units cover Cancer Genetics, Cancer Epidemiology, Media Literacy and Tobacco Advertising, Nutrition and Cancer, Biotechnology and Cancer, and Cancer Risk Reduction. Lessons combine brief instruction with interactive activities such as identifying cancer risk factors and discussing ways families can reduce risk. Students also complete a final cumulative project.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

    collaborator NIH

  • Weill Medical College of Cornell University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Erica G Phillips, MD, MS · Weill Cornell

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
10 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-01-29
Primary Completion
2028-06-30
Completion
2028-06-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07501689 on ClinicalTrials.gov