Get in the GROOVE! will address health disparities impacting underserved youth. Given the alarming rate of overweight and obesity among high school minority youth, the project will focus on middle school with the primary aim of reaching middle school girls before unhealthy habits become firmly ingrained. The primary aim of the research project is to investigate the impact of two types of summer science enrichment programs (that focus on health and wellness) on middle school girls' self-efficacy, health knowledge, health behaviors, and interest in science. One program will present the curriculum by conventional means (GROOVE condition) while the second program will include the addition of a closed 3-D virtual world environment to reinforce concepts (GROOVE+ condition). The following hypotheses will be tested in the randomized controlled trial: 1. Upon completion of the summer program, the enhanced summer program GROOVE+ relative to the conventional summer program will result in a) increased self-efficacy for adopting healthy behavior change; b) increased health knowledge; c) enhanced science self-concept; and e) more positive behavior change (e.g., improved nutrition, increased physical activity). 2. At follow-up, the enhanced summer program relative to the conventional summer program will result in further and/or sustained improvements in positive behavior health behaviors and attitudes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
375
The enhanced virtual world education (GROOVE+) will be compared to conventional approach (GROOVE). Each program is Monday-Friday, 9:30-3:30, for 3 weeks in the summer.
Patricia and Phillip Museum of Science
Miami, Florida, United States
New York Hall of Science
Queens, New York, United States
change in Health Knowledge
Multiple choice questionnaire used to assess participants' health knowledge pertaining to nutrition, physical activity, weight, and lifestyle. The measure will test for the content of the summer program.
Time frame: pretreatment ( Day1-2) and post treatment (end of 3 week summer session)
change in Self-efficacy - physical activity
The physical activity self-efficacy support seeking and barriers subscales developed by Saunders, Pate, Felton et al.'s (1997, Preventive Medicine, vol. 26, 241-247) will be used.
Time frame: pretreatment ( Day1-2) and post treatment (end of 3 week summer session)
change in Self-efficacy - fruit and vegetable consumption
The food-related self-efficacy scale items comes from the work of Reynolds et al. ( 2002, Health Psychology, vol. 21, 51-60) and addresses fruit and vegetable consumption.
Time frame: pretreatment ( Day1-2) and post treatment (end of 3 week summer session)
change in Self-efficacy - science
Science self-efficacy assesses confidence to master the GROOVE program science components.
Time frame: pretreatment ( Day1-2) and post treatment (end of 3 week summer session)
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