Volunteering and Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents

Cardiovascular Risk Factors Clinical Trial

Official title:

How Volunteer Programs Affect Health and Well-being in Low-income Youth

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01698034
• Other study ID #: H11-00943
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: September 21, 2012
• Last updated: October 2, 2012
• Start date: September 2011
• Est. completion date: January 2012

Study information

• Verified date: October 2012
• Source: University of British Columbia
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Canada: Health Canada
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study tested whether getting youth engaged in helping others (volunteering) would benefit youth's physical health. 106 predominantly minority and low socioeconomic status (SES) youth were randomized to either volunteer weekly with elementary school children in after school programs or to a wait-list control group. The investigators hypothesized that cardiovascular risk markers of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), total cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI) would be lower at post-intervention (4 months after baseline) in the volunteer group compared to the control group. The investigators also hypothesized that the intervention might work through pathways such as reducing negative mood, improving self esteem, and increasing prosocial behaviors (empathy, altruism).

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 106
• Est. completion date: January 2012
• Est. primary completion date: January 2012
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• 10th grade high school student

• English speaking

• No chronic illnesses

Exclusion Criteria:

• Chronic medical illness

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Volunteering
Weekly volunteering with elementary school children in after school programs

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	Vancouver Technical Secondary School	Vancouver	British Columbia

Sponsors (4)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of British Columbia	HopeLab Foundation, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, William T. Grant Foundation

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Body mass index		Baseline-adjusted post-intervention scores at 4 months	No
Primary	C-reactive protein		Baseline-adjusted post-intervention scores at 4 months	No
Primary	Interleukin-6		Baseline-adjusted post-intervention scores at 4 months	No
Primary	Total Cholesterol		Baseline-adjusted post-intervention scores at 4 months	No