School-based secondary prevention of overweight and obesity among 8- to 12-year old children: Design and sample characteristics of the SNAPSHOT trial.

Rising levels of severe obesity among children, worsening disparities by race and ethnicity and reluctance of primary care clinicians' to provide obesity management to children are compelling reasons to consider alternatives to primary care management of childhood obesity. The Students Nurses and Parents Seeking Healthy Options Together (SNAPSHOT) trial will test the efficacy of an elementary school-based, school nurse-led, healthy weight management program to reduce excess weight gain among children, 8- to 12-years old with a body mass index (BMI) ≥75th percentile, by increasing healthy dietary practices and physical activity and decreasing sedentary behaviors. SNAPSHOT has enrolled and randomized 132 child/parent dyads to either the: (1) 9-month SNAPSHOT intervention that includes four home visits, 14 kid groups held during out-of-school time and five parent groups or (2) a newsletter program consisting of monthly mailings and family-focused healthy lifestyle information.

The Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus study: design and methods.

Background: Informed and engaged parents and healthful home environments are essential for the health of youth. Although research has shown health benefits associated with family meals, to date, no randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been developed to examine the impact of a family meals intervention on behavioral and health outcomes.

Methods/design: The Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus study is a two-arm (intervention versus attention-only control) RCT being conducted in Minneapolis/St.

A school-based, peer leadership physical activity intervention for 6th graders: feasibility and results of a pilot study.

Background: The aim of this study was to promote physical activity in 6th graders by developing and testing the feasibility of an enhanced Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) program comprised of a peer leadership component and innovative exercise resource toolkit including DVDs.

Methods: A racially/ethnically diverse sample of students received the standard PALA program (2 control schools, n = 61) or enhanced PALA+Peers program (2 intervention schools, n = 87) during 2006-2007 academic year.

Results: Compared with the control condition, the intervention was successful in increasing moderate physical activity in all students (P = .

Focus groups with working parents of school-aged children: what's needed to improve family meals?

Objective: To conduct focus groups to identify parents' perceptions of barriers to family meals and elucidate ideas to guide the development of interventions to overcome barriers.

Methods: Focus groups were conducted with a convenience sample of 27 working parents in urban community settings.

Results: Parents reported enjoying the sharing/bonding at meals, but they reported limited time for meal preparation and frequent multi-tasking at mealtime.

Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME): feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes of a pilot study.

The primary objective was to develop and test the feasibility and acceptability of the Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) program, a pilot childhood obesity prevention intervention aimed at increasing the quality of foods in the home and at family meals. Forty-four child/parent dyads participated in a randomized controlled trial (n = 22 in intervention and n = 22 in control conditions). The intervention program, held at neighborhood facilities, included five, 90-min sessions consisting of interactive nutrition education, taste testing, cooking skill building, parent discussion groups, and hands-on meal preparation.

Providing obesity prevention counseling to children during a primary care clinic visit: results from a pilot study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate parent response to a clinic-based primary prevention intervention to increase the proportion of 5- to 10-year-old children receiving annual body mass index screening and counseling about physical activity, dietary practices, and sedentary practices. A posttest-only, quasiexperimental design was used. Two clinics that provide routine health care to school-aged children agreed to participate in the pilot study.

Cross-cultural adaptation and evaluation of a home-based program for alcohol use prevention among urban youth: the "Slick Tracy Home Team Program".

The current study describes the extensive cross-cultural adaptation of a brief home-based alcohol prevention program for racially and ethnically diverse sixth grade students and their families, using a randomized controlled trial design involving 60 public schools in the city of Chicago (N = 3,623 students). The adapted program achieved high participation levels (73%) overall, as well as in single parent families, non-English homes, and low-income students, among other at risk groups. Lower levels of factors associated with the onset of alcohol use (i.

Brief report: the adaptation of Project Northland for urban youth.

Objective: Summarizes the research and intervention design of a new trial to evaluate an adaptation of Project Northland, a multicomponent, community-wide alcohol prevention program for culturally diverse youth living in a large city. The original Project Northland was successful in reducing alcohol use among a sample of mostly White, rural adolescents.

Methods: We highlight the steps taken to adapt the intervention strategies for culturally diverse inner-city youth, families, and neighborhoods.