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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03215485

WAVE~Ripples for Change: Obesity Prevention in Active Youth

Intervention targets youth ages 14 - 19 participating in soccer teams. The intervention group will be given face to face nutrition lessons and have access to an online immersive learning environment. The comparison group will not. The project will test if the immersive learning environment is effective in preventing unhealthy weight gain.

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Key information

Conditions

Childhood Obesity Prevention Behavior Motor Activity

Age range

14 year–19 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Active youth are just as likely to develop poor dietary habits that can contribute to obesity later in life, after high school sports has ended. However, youth in sports may provide a key "window of opportunity" to teach them about eating health foods if that information is tied to sport performance. This project will test to see if that is true.

The virtual world is an idea medium for learning for this project. The project will test whether it indeed can result in behavior change more effectively than just more traditional face to face learning.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • youth ages 14 - 19 at baseline
  • enrolled in a high school soccer program
  • living with a parent/caregiver in Oregon
  • without medical condition that hinders them from consuming normal healthy diets
  • has assess to the internet during the 2-year study
  • proficient in English

Exclusion criteria

  • non-English speakers (youth)
  • prisoners

Treatment and study plan

Nutrition lessons

Behavioral

Face-to-face interactive group lessons delivered in the classroom.

Virtual world learning environment

Behavioral

Every participant has their own unique avatar in the virtual world learning environment named Rippleville. They can choose to complete quests, watch archived nutrition video lessons, explore, and socialize with other avatars. They receive rewards (Rippleville dollar and badges) for their efforts.

Other names: Rippleville

Newsletter

Other

All participants in the intervention and comparison groups receive up to 10 professional newsletters on topics related to sports nutrition and performance, healthy eating and active living tips.

Primary outcomes

  1. Nutrition: Meet specific good groups dietary recommendation/guideline for fruit, vegetables, fat, and sugar intakes.

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 12 and 24 months later

    Intakes of fat, sugar, fruits and vegetables are measured by self-reported screener using the Block Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ). Change in intake frequencies are compared baseline, 12 and 24 months later.

  2. Physical activity: Meet moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) recommendation.

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 12 and 24 months later

    MVPA is measured by total steps and minutes per day with the use of a wearable lifestyle tracker such as the Fitbit. Average steps during soccer season and outside soccer season are compared.

  3. Sleep about 8 hours/day.

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 12 and 24 months later

    Together with MVPA, sleep is measured by average number of sleep hours per day as self-reported by participants via written and/or electronic surveys .

Secondary outcomes

  1. Growth-adjusted Body Mass Index (kg/m2)

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 12 and 24 months later

    Height and body weight are measured using a stadiometer (SECA 217, SECA Corp., Singapore) and a Tanita scale (TM-300A, Tanita Corp., Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, Japan).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Oregon State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The WAVE~Ripples for Change: Obesity Prevention in Active Youth in Afterschool Programs Using Virtual- and Real-World Experiential Learning

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Jul 12, 2017
Registry last updated
Apr 4, 2022

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.

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