The B'N Fit POWER Initiative: A School-Based Wellness Initiative for Bronx Youth

Overview

The findings of this study will establish the feasibility and efficacy of B'N Fit POWER and given the wide presence of MSHP, MMCC and other afterschool programs, there is significant potential for dissemination of B'N Fit POWER to many other clinic-community partnership sites enabling the development of a larger grant that will test the effectiveness and dissemination process to several schools in the Bronx. The translation of a traditional clinical-based weight-loss intervention to adapting and implementing such an intervention in a real-world school setting is more relevant and sustainable for advancing a culture of health and promoting diabetes risk reduction in Bronx youth.

In this proposal, the investigators aim to test a school-based intervention to promote resilience and prevent obesity related co-morbidities for impoverished racial/ethnic minority Bronx youth who are at increased risk for diabetes. B'N Fit POWER is a wellness program that integrates existing school wellness promotion activities, the Montefiore School Health Program (MSHP) - a network of school-based health clinics, and the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) - a network of afterschool programming, to promote health and build on the resilience of the adolescents. It offers culturally-relevant guidance related to the attainment of 7 Target Behaviors, namely to increase fruit, vegetable and sugar-free beverage intake, obtain adequate sleep, daily physical activity, eating breakfast and lunch daily, and limiting fast food and unhealthy snacks. Although B'N Fit POWER targets youth with overweight and obesity and at high risk for diabetes, it is open to all middle school students at the school, via community-led recruitment efforts to reduce obesity-related stigma by promoting wellness and fitness. Grounded in Youth Development (YD) Theory and using the principles of Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) the program integrates patient, family, clinical, and community linkages, and targets individual behaviors as well as the school environment to address environmental and structural barriers to behavioral change. YD program elements are incorporated to build positive identity, youth resilience, and foster youth leadership by having youth contribute to planning community activities with incentives to promote attendance and retention. The investigators will conduct a quasi-experimental trial of B'N Fit POWER and will compare participants receiving B'N Fit POWER (Group 1) to two comparison groups: one from the same school receiving standard of care (Group 2) and, to assess the external validity of Group 2 in terms of characteristics and outcomes, an additional group from another school also receiving standard of care (Group 3) to address the following specific aims: 1) Determine whether B' N Fit POWER is effective in improving fitness, healthy weight attainment, and 7 target behaviors; 2) To assess the impact of moving the B'N Fit program into a school setting on participant engagement; and 3) To assess the mediating pathways associated with program effects. Following an initial health screening, participants enrolling in B'N Fit POWER (Group 1) will receive comprehensive medical assessments at the MSHP integrated with MMCC afterschool programming that incorporates a curriculum focusing on 7 Target Behaviors during weekly leadership sessions and daily physical activity. The comparison groups receive the standard of care (standard MSHP and MMCC afterschool program). Effects of the program will be evaluated using data routinely collected at the schools (e.g. anthropometrics and labs from clinic and the school fitnessgram, attendance, grades) and surveys. Multivariate logistic regressions and mixed-effects linear models will assess program effects for categorical or continuous outcomes and the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) approach will identify barriers and solutions to implementation.