HEART at Head Start Pilot (Healthy Eating, Activity, Relaxation Trial)

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Sleep Hygiene; Dietary Habits; Physical Inactivity
• Interventions: Behavioral: Experimental

• Registration Number: NCT06346574
• Lead Sponsor: Tufts University

Brief Summary

With funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy will be implementing a new, health and wellbeing program for Head Start educators at ABCD Head Start Centers in the greater Boston area.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the combined impact of a health and wellness program and behavior change guides. The evaluation will focus on ABCD Head Start educators as the study population. Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy is responsible for implementing and evaluating this new intervention through surveys and analysis of administrative (health and wellness App) data.

A paper and pencil survey will be used to gather information on dietary, physical activity, and sleep behaviors. The surveys will also include a module on satisfaction with the health and wellness App and Guides. Survey data will be combined with the administrative data about App utilization.

Detailed Description

Health and Wellness Apps can reduce barriers and increase access to health information. Supplemental coaching and support to set goals and work towards them may increase the likelihood of achieving physical activity and nutrition goals. This model of access to an App with supplemental support can be applied to improve the health and wellness of Head Start educators.

Head Start is the largest federally funded early childhood education program which provides an array of services to families in an early childhood care setting. The impact of Head Start on school readiness and nutritional outcomes of families has been examined extensively. There is growing awareness of the importance of supporting Head Start educators with their own health and wellness needs. There is a large volume of research that supports the use of Health and Wellness Apps.

The USDA awarded Tufts University a grant to develop, test, and evaluate an innovative health and wellness program for Head Start educators. Tufts University selected ABCD Head Start, which includes 19 Centers and approximately 250 educators in the greater Boston area. The team at Tufts University is leading the implementation and evaluation of the intervention, in collaboration with the National Head Start Association (NHSA) with ABCD Head Start as a community partner.

HEART at Head Start aims to generate evidence to inform how an innovative program can support the health and wellbeing of Head Start educators at the intervention centers compared to those at delayed intervention centers. Study participants will be provided access to the health and wellness app, which can either be downloaded onto mobile phones or accessed via the web. Users will be able to use a variety of health and wellness resources, webinars, as specialized coaching through this app. Additionally, Tufts guides will work closely with study participants to facilitate individual goal setting and to support work towards these set goals.

Evaluation findings will inform stakeholders about the feasibility of using a Health and Wellness App in conjunction with a guide to support Head Start educators with their health and wellness goals.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2023-12-14
• Status Verified: 2024-03
• Study First Submitted: 2024-03-14
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-03-28
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-03-28
• Study First Posted: 2024-04-04
• Last Update Posted: 2024-04-04
• Primary Completion: 2024-11
• Study Completion: 2024-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

Inclusion Criteria

1. Educator at ABCD Head Start Center in the Greater Boston area
2. Ability to speak, read, and write in English fluently
3. Ability to download and use the Health and Wellness App on their mobile phone or computer
4. Residing in the US at the time of enrollment
5. Able to attend the baseline health fair at a ABCD Head Start Center

Study participants will be educators at ABCD Head Start centers where either the Health and Wellness App is offered at the onset of the study (intervention) or six months after the onset of the study (delayed intervention.

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Exclusion Criteria

None

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Experimental: Intervention Group	Experimental	Behavioral: 1. Access to health and wellness App from baseline to nine months. 2. Access to Guides from baseline to six months
Delayed Intervention	Experimental	Behavioral: 1. No access to health and wellness App from baseline to six months 2. Access to App and Guide from six to nine months

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Use of health and wellness App	9-months	App based tracker use data
Engagement with Guide	9-months	Number of guide sessions attended
Nutrition behaviors	9 months	Self-reported food intake
Physical activity behaviors	9 months	Self-reported physical activity
Sleep habits	9 months	Self-reported sleep habits

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
BMI	9 months	BMI values calculated using measured height and weight
Blood glucose	9 months	Non-fasting blood glucose obtained through finger prick method
Cholesterol	9 months	Non-fasting blood cholesterol obtained through finger prick method
Blood pressure	9 months	Measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Triglycerides	9 months	Non-fasting blood triglyceride obtained through finger prick method

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Tufts University; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States