Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07501689

Using Middle School Science Teachers to Address Cancer Health Disparities

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.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Cancer Risk Factors Cancer Prevention

Age range

10 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Dock Street School for STEAM Studies District: 13 School #: K313, Brooklyn, New York, United States

Loading trial locations.

About this study

The investigators will evaluate whether the CARES4You intervention modifies health-promoting behavior intentions among middle school students in New York City.

Participants in the control arm will receive the exact same 5-week educational curriculum as those in the intervention arm.

Participants will:

  • Be assigned to either the control group or the study group; both will receive the same cancer educational curriculum over 5 weeks.
  • Receive weekly classroom lessons and labs over 5 weeks.
  • Students will complete a survey before and after the administration of the curriculum intervention. These questionnaires evaluate students' change in knowledge related to the curriculum, and questions about their cancer risk behaviors, and communication styles at home.
  • Caregivers of students in the intervention schools only will complete a survey at one time point and receive a $40 electronic gift card for completing the survey at the end of the curriculum implementation phase.
  • Instructors will complete a training program evaluation and a post-curriculum evaluation to assess the impact of the curriculum on their students.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adolescents:
  • Age 10-13
  • Attends a NYC Public Middle School
  • Resides in one of the study's four target PPA's
  • Parents/Caregivers:
  • 18 years of age or older
  • Has at least one child registered for middle school in NYC that resides with them
  • Resides in one of the study's four target PPA's
  • Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Adolescents: Students who do not attend one of the participating NYC Public Middle Schools
  • Parents/Caregivers: Caregivers who do not have a child that attends one of the participating NYC Public Middle Schools

Treatment and study plan

CARES4You Curriculum

Behavioral

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.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in students' intention to engage in health-promoting behaviors following the completion of the curriculum.

    Time frame: Baseline, End of Study (6 weeks)

    Intent to engage in health-promoting behaviors will be assessed by an adapted nine-item instrument. The response scale for each question item ranges from 0 (does not apply to me) to 3 (very likely) with a sum score ranging from 0 to 27. Higher scores represent a greater intention to follow health-promoting behaviors.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of student participants and caregiver participants who initiate cancer risk communication in the household.

    Time frame: End of Study (6 weeks)

    Cancer risk communication will be assessed by a one item instrument. The response scale for the question ranges from 0 (no) to 1 (yes) with a yes indicating if the student participant has spoken with a caregiver participant about cancer.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Alia Komsany, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

646-962-5036

Rosio Ramos, BA

CONTACT

[email protected]

646 962 5037

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Other

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

Using Middle School Science Teachers to Address Health Disparities

Acronym: CARES4You

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Mar 30, 2026
Registry last updated
Mar 30, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.