Community Park-Based Programs for Health Promotion: the Fit2Lead Prospective Cohort Study

Purpose

The Fit2Lead prospective cohort study examines the effects of a park-based youth mental health and resilience afterschool program on youth participant mental health, resilience, physical fitness, and violence prevention outcomes. Duke will perform a secondary analysis of the data collected as part of the Fit2Lead prospective cohort study run by Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation.

Conditions

  • Anxiety
  • Wellness, Psychological
  • Overweight or Obesity
  • Hypertension
  • Prehypertension
  • Low Physical Fitness

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 12 Years and 17 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • All participants enrolled in the Miami-Dade Fit2Lead study will be included in this secondary analysis - Aged 12-17 years, residing in Miami-Dade County

Exclusion Criteria

  • Anyone not enrolled in the Miami-Dade Fit2Lead study will be excluded from this secondary analysis - Aged <12 or >17 years, not residing in Miami-Dade County, cannot read and speak in English

Study Design

Phase
Study Type
Observational
Observational Model
Cohort
Time Perspective
Prospective

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Fit2 Lead Cohort 1-2 Fit2Lead runs September through June at no charge, and provides daily academic support, sports and recreation, meditation, stress resilience, and life skills-focused workshops. Participants who reach age 15 years and are awaiting an internship placement can remain in phase 1 until a position opens or can be transferred to another internship program within the MDPROS.
  • Behavioral: Fit2Lead Group 1-2
    Each park serves anywhere from 2 to 9 feeder schools within these neighborhoods (a target population of 34 000 youth residents aged 12-17 years), and transportation from schools to parks is provided at no cost within a 3-mile radius of a program park. Fit2Lead participants can also enroll in the MDPROS youth summer camp at no charge. Work assignments support MDPROS operations and recreation staff. Interns in Phase II rotate every 8 weeks for exposure to different job opportunities, supervisors, and mentors. Duke is conducting a secondary data analysis on data collected as part of the Fit2Lead study.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Duke University

Study Contact

Emily D'Agostino
Emily.M.D'Agostino@duke.edu

Detailed Description

The Fit2Lead prospective cohort study examines the effects of a park-based youth mental health and resilience afterschool program on youth physical and mental health and resilience, communication, and problem-solving skills training for underserved youth aged 12 to 17 years through an interdisciplinary collaboration among Miami-Dade Department of Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (MDPROS) Miami-Dade County (MDC) Juvenile Services Department, MDC Public Schools, MDC Police Department, University of Miami, Florida International University, and other community-based partners. Fit2Lead consists of 2 phases initiated simultaneously in 2015. For youth aged 12 to 14 years, Fit2Lead is offered after school Monday through Friday from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm at 12 MDC parks for participants in under resourced neighborhoods and based on area-level youth crime and neighborhood poverty. Fit2Lead runs September through June at no charge, and provides daily academic support, sports and recreation, meditation, stress resilience, and life skills-focused workshops. Each park serves anywhere from 2 to 9 feeder schools within these neighborhoods (a target population of 34 000 youth residents aged 12-17 years), and transportation from schools to parks is provided at no cost within a 3-mile radius of a program park. Fit2Lead participants can also enroll in the MDPROS youth summer camp at no charge. Phase II of Fit2Lead is for youth aged 15 to 17 years and entails a year-round paid internship and 3-hour weekly enrichment, resilience, and life skills workshops. Daily entry-level part-time interns receive $9 per hour (approximately 500 total paid hours per year; total salary approximately $4000 per participant, per year). Work assignments support MDPROS operations and recreation staff. Interns rotate every 8 weeks for exposure to different job opportunities, supervisors, and mentors. Phase 1 participants who reach age 15 years and are awaiting an internship placement can remain in phase 1 until a position opens or can be transferred to another internship program within the MDPROS.