The purpose of this study is to determine whether random assignment to a mentor-mentee relationship is associated with beneficial cardiovascular health effects in both mentors and mentees.
Participants will be undergraduate students randomly assigned to either being in the mentor or comparison group. A second set of participants will be randomly assigned to either being in the mentee or comparison group. These participants will come from Chicago Public School elementary schools. In total, there will be 125 mentors, 125 comparators, 125 mentees, and 125 comparators. Participants will come for a laboratory visit in which cardiovascular health measures will be taken (details below). Visits will occur once at baseline (before the intervention starts), and once post-intervention. There will be a mid-point assessment of questionnaires. Participants in the intervention group will engage in one-on-one mentoring sessions (mentors together with mentees) once a week after school for the school year. Participants in the comparator group will receive written versions of all materials covered in the mentoring sessions.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
416
The intervention will include one-on-one mentoring sessions held after school, focusing on coping, social relationships, and healthy lifestyles.
Written materials from the mentoring sessions will be provided to those in the comparison group
Northwestern
Evanston, Illinois, United States
Metabolic symptoms
Metabolic symptoms per International Diabetes Federation guidelines
Time frame: Change in metabolic symptoms from baseline to approximately 1 year later
Flow-mediated vasodilation
Brachial artery diameter change
Time frame: Change in flow-mediated vasodilation from baseline to approximately 1 year later
HOMA-IR
Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance
Time frame: Change in HOMA-IR score from baseline to approximately 1 year later
Pro-inflammatory cytokines
Standardized and averaged values of pro-inflammatory cytokines + CRP
Time frame: Change from baseline to approximately 1 year later
Stimulated cytokine production
Standardized and averaged values of stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokines
Time frame: Change from baseline to approximately 1 year later
Glucocorticoid sensitivity
Standardized and averaged values of cytokine production after stimulation plus addition of cortisol
Time frame: Change from baseline to approximately 1 year later
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