Clinical Research Directory

Alcohol Labeling Study

This study aims to examine the effects of new front-of-package alcohol warnings on alcohol consumption. Participants will be randomly assigned to either new front-of-package health warnings or control labels. Participants will bring in their own alcohol to weekly study visits and take home the alcohol to consume as usual. Participants will receive study labels on their alcohol containers per their assigned trial arm.

THRIVE-Belize: A School-Based Life-Skills Program to Support Teen Health in Toledo District, Belize (Feasibility)

THRIVE-Belize is a school-based program being developed to support the health and well-being of adolescents in the Toledo District of southern Belize. The program covers seven topics: communication and emotional regulation, healthy expressions of masculinity, sexual and reproductive health, healthy relationships, mental and physical health, substance use prevention, and environmental health. Before testing whether the program works, the research team needs to learn whether students, teachers, parents, school staff, and community members find it acceptable, appropriate, and practical to deliver at Toledo Community College. This study (Phase I) does not deliver the program to anyone. Instead, it gathers feedback through surveys, focus groups, and interviews with about 280 participants across these five groups. The information collected will be used to refine the program and decide whether to move forward to a future pilot study. No medical or educational intervention is given to participants in this phase.

Brief Psychological Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Continuous levels of hazardous alcohol consumption (i.e., 14 or more units per week) is one of the leading risk factors of ill health and early mortality, contributing to around 9,809 deaths a year in the UK. The aim of the present research is to test the effect of helping people to reward themselves when they have successfully reduced/abstained from their previous levels of alcohol consumption. Each participant will be randomly allocated to one of two conditions. The trial requires 128 participants to perform a fully powered statistical analysis. The two conditions include: (1) a control condition (asked to form a plan to reduce/abstain from alcohol consumption), or (2) a weekly self-incentivising condition (asked to reward themselves at the end of each week that they have successfully reduced/abstained their previous levels of alcohol consumption). The main outcome measure will be units of alcohol consumed/not consumed, which will be self-reported at 1-week and 1-month follow-up time points.

A Parental Support Intervention for Children's Nature-Based Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This three-arm randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week, WeChat-based parental support intervention designed to increase parents' support for children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces. Participants were randomly assigned to a Self-Determination Theory plus identity intervention group, a Self-Determination Theory intervention group, or an education control group. Across the intervention period, each group received two articles per week via a WeChat Official Account, which were disseminated through condition-specific WeChat groups. The primary outcome was parental support for children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces. Secondary outcomes included children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces and theory-based psychological variables related to parental support. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 8 weeks after the intervention had ended. Findings are intended to inform the development of feasible, theory-informed digital interventions to enhance parental support for children's nature-based physical activity.

Evaluation Of Cardiovascular Health Outcomes Among Survivors 2

Childhood cancer survivors who received certain treatments are at a higher risk of developing heart problems in the future. This study is looking at ways to educate childhood cancer survivors about that risk and encourage them to receive a recommended heart screening test.

Consumer Perceptions of Alcoholic Beverages

This study aims to examine the effects of marketing claims on alcoholic beverage packaging on alcohol consumers' perceptions and intentions. Participants will be randomized to view three images of alcoholic beverages (beer, hard seltzer, flavored malt beverage) with one of three marketing claims (or a no claim control), and then queried about their perceptions of the product and intentions to consume the product.

Multimedia Hydration Education During Physical Education in Schoolchildren

Here's a plain-language Brief Summary ready to paste - it follows the PRS lay-language style (short sentences, explains the "why," avoids jargon) and fits well within 5,000 characters: Staying well hydrated helps children stay healthy and concentrate, and it matters most during physical activity. Yet many young children do not drink enough water during physical education (PE) lessons, and some begin the school day already short of fluid. This study tested whether a short, fun teaching programme could help young children learn about hydration and drink more during PE. The programme used slideshows with simple words, pictures, and short animations, delivered by the children's own teacher for 15 minutes at the start of each PE class, once a week for six weeks. The study took place in two public primary schools in Sfax, Tunisia, and involved 204 first-grade children aged 6 to 7 years. Twelve classes took part. Whole classes (not individual children) were placed by chance into one of two groups: six classes received the teaching programme, and six classes continued their usual PE with no hydration lessons. Comparing whole classes in this way is called a cluster-randomized trial. The researchers measured three things each week: how much the children knew about hydration (using a simple yes/no questionnaire), whether they drank water during the PE session, and the small change in each child's body weight across the session, which is an indirect sign of fluid loss. The aim was to see whether learning about hydration in an engaging way actually changes children's drinking behaviour during activity, not just what they know.

Health Ahead Comparative Effectiveness Study

The Health Ahead Comparative Effectiveness Study is a pragmatic, parallel-arm interventional platform that systematically compares successive changes to preventive health screening - each isolated as a single variable against current practice - on the path toward a fully automated screening system deployable in any environment, including the most isolated and resource-limited communities. Each comparison is evaluated with a common set of engagement, behavior-change, experience, cost, and longitudinal outcome measures, allowing results to accumulate on a consistent yardstick across the life of the platform. The first comparison evaluates static versus interactive personalized health report delivery. Subsequent pre-planned comparisons, added by protocol amendment, evaluate mobile community versus fixed laboratory screening; and a hybrid medical-droid plus human-delivery model versus human-only screening. All participants are simultaneously enrolled in the 100-Year Human Aging Study and the Human Observatory Study, contributing individual longitudinal and population-level causal inference data through those protocols.

Effectiveness of Climate Change Awareness Education in Secondary School Students

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a climate change awareness education program on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among secondary school students. The study was conducted as a cluster randomized controlled trial in a public secondary school in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Mobile Health Program for Teens With Congenital Heart Disease

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand what teens with congenital heart disease like and want in a mobile health program that helps them learn about their health and make healthy choices. The main questions it aims to answer are: Are participants satisfied with the program? Is the program easy to use? Participants will: 1) complete two online surveys, 2) interact with the mobile health program, and 3) participate in an interview.

Laughter Yoga Integrated PRECEDE-PROCEED Health Education Program in Adolescents

Adolescence is a critical developmental period in which lifelong health behaviors are shaped, and behaviors acquired during this stage significantly influence health outcomes in adulthood. Physical activity, healthy nutrition, adequate sleep, stress management, and positive social relationships are among the key determinants of adolescent health. However, current evidence indicates that physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles, and psychosocial problems remain highly prevalent among adolescents globally. In addition, insufficient access to health information and inadequate health information-seeking behaviors among adolescents have been reported to be associated with risky health behaviors. Therefore, the development of healthy lifestyle behaviors in adolescents is considered a public health priority. Schools are recognized as strategic settings for health-promoting interventions targeting adolescents due to their significant social and educational influence on health behaviors. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses report that school-based and multi-component interventions have positive effects on adolescents' health behaviors and psychosocial well-being. The integration of behavioral and psychosocial components in school-based health education programs has been associated with more effective and sustainable improvements in adolescent health outcomes . In this process, school health nurses play a critical role in planning and implementing preventive and health-promoting interventions for adolescents . Moreover, it has been reported that healthy behaviors gained through school health nursing interventions may persist into adulthood . Additionally, a systematic review of health education interventions has shown that multi-component approaches-such as classroom education combined with school policies, parental involvement, and school-community collaboration-produce more significant effects on adolescent health outcomes. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in complementary approaches supporting stress management and emotional well-being in school-based interventions. In this context, laughter yoga is described as a low-cost, feasible, and group-based method associated with reduced stress, improved psychological well-being, and enhanced social interaction. Experimental studies conducted with adolescents have also demonstrated that laughter yoga has positive effects on school burnout, hope, and educational stress. However, the literature indicates a limited number of studies examining the integration of laughter yoga into structured school-based health education programs and its effects on healthy lifestyle behaviors. In line with the life-course health perspective, school-based interventions aimed at health promotion during childhood and adolescence are reported to be critical for the sustainability of healthy lifestyle behaviors. In this context, the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model is a theoretical framework widely used in the planning and implementation of health promotion programs, systematically assessing behavioral, environmental, and psychosocial factors influencing health behaviors. Studies based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model have demonstrated its effectiveness in improving health behaviors among adolescents. Furthermore, current evidence emphasizes that parental involvement in school-based health interventions strengthens the sustainability of behavior change, highlighting the need for further research in this area. The literature indicates that no studies have examined the effects of a health education program based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model integrated with laughter yoga on adolescents' healthy lifestyle behaviors. This gap highlights an important research need for interventions that combine a theoretical behavior change framework with complementary practices that may enhance psychosocial well-being. Study aim Accordingly, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a health education program based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model and integrated with laughter yoga on healthy lifestyle behaviors of secondary school students. Study hypotheses H1: Students who receive a health education program based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model and integrated with laughter yoga will have significantly higher healthy lifestyle behavior scores compared to the control group.

Personalized Health Self-Management Training for Colorectal Cancer Survivors

This is a Phase 2 prospective, randomized, controlled, double-arm study to assess personalized self-management training (PSMT) intervention efficacy and patient experiences compared to standardized self-management training (SSMT). A total of 120 gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients will be enrolled and randomized 1:1 to complete a 6-week self-management training program (either PSMT or SSMT) to be carried out by licensed occupational therapists with doctoral training. This study aims to examine whether PSMT is more effective in increasing adherence to healthy behavior recommendations compared to SSMT in GI cancer patients.

The IGNITE for Kids Study on Concentrated Investment in Black Neighborhoods and Child Health and Well-Being

Black children and adults in the United States fare worse across nearly every health indicator compared to White individuals. In Philadelphia, the location of this study, these health disparities result in a stark longevity gap, with average life expectancies in poor, predominantly Black neighborhoods being 20 years lower than in nearby affluent, predominantly White neighborhoods. The investigators will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a suite of place- based and financial-wellbeing interventions at the community, organization, and individual/household levels that address the social determinants of racial health disparities. At the community level, the investigators address underinvestment in Black neighborhoods by implementing vacant lot greening, abandoned house remediation, tree planting, and trash cleanup. At the organization level, the investigators partner with community-based financial empowerment providers to develop cross-organizational infrastructure to increase reach and maximize efficiency. At the individual/household levels, the investigators increase access to public benefits, financial counseling and tax preparation services, and emergency cash assistance. The investigators will test this "big push" intervention in 60 Black neighborhood micro-clusters, with a total of 480 children. The investigators hypothesize that this "big push" intervention will have significant impact on children's health and wellbeing.

The "11 for Health" Program Intervention and Its Impact on Polish Children

This study evaluates the impact of the "11 For Health" program-an innovative football-based health education initiative-on children's physical fitness, health status, health knowledge, and pro-health behaviors. Originally implemented in African and South American countries, the program has been adapted and successfully introduced in European and Asian countries. The intervention consists of structured football sessions integrating health education messages aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle among schoolchildren. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this program in enhancing both physical fitness and health-related outcomes in comparison to traditional physical education classes

Digitally Enhanced Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Adolescent depression is a major public health problem. Depression affects adolescents' emotional well-being now and in the future, and it also affects their physical health, especially the risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular and metabolic health problems. In adolescents with depression and obesity, evidence-based programs for depression, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), might improve physical health, in part by supporting healthy behaviors such as physical activity, nutritious eating, and getting enough sleep. Our preliminary studies provide support for this overarching hypothesis. If adolescents have access to a digital app to support practicing CBT skills in between program sessions, it might especially help them to learn skills that help to feel better and be healthier in their day-to-day lives. We are tailoring a digital app for this purpose and we will make changes to the app based on feedback from adolescents, their parents, and their doctors. Once the app is well-liked and helpful, and works well as a support for taking part in CBT, we will randomly assign 60 adolescents with depression and overweight/obesity to either "CBT+" - a CBT group program plus the app, or "CBT-only" - the CBT group program only. We will pilot test whether this research is feasible, likeable, and credible, learning information that will inform a larger study to test of CBT+ can support emotional well-being, health behavior, and cardiovascular and metabolic health in adolescents.

Simplifying Diet Tracking in a Digital Weight Loss Intervention

The purpose of this study is to compare two approaches for tracking dietary intake in a 12-month fully digital weight loss intervention: (1) Simplified approach: track Red Zone Foods (e.g., foods high in calories and low in nutritional value) vs. (2) Detailed approach: track all foods and their corresponding calories. In essence, this is a head-to-head comparison of two tracking approaches; the investigators are evaluating whether weight loss is comparable over 12 months, or whether one approach will have greater weight loss. The investigators will recruit 328 adults. Broadly, adults with overweight or obesity who live in the United States will be eligible. The weight loss intervention will last 12 months. All participants will be asked to track their dietary intake + body weight + steps daily as well as complete weekly behavioral lessons and action plans to promote healthy eating and physical activity. All study tasks will occur remotely. Assessment of body weight and survey measures will occur at the beginning of the trial ("baseline"), and at 1, 6, 12, and 18 months.

ECOLOGICAL MESSAGE FRAMING AND SUSTAINABLE MENSTRUAL PRODUCT CHOICES

Background: Climate change is an increasing public health concern, with growing evidence linking climate change anxiety to health behaviors. Message framing (loss-framed, gain-framed, neutral) is a key strategy in behavioral medicine that may influence both emotional responses and environmentally related health behaviors, including menstrual product choices. Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of message framing strategies on women's climate change anxiety, attitudes toward environmental sustainability of menstrual products, and menstrual product preference tendencies. Keywords: Menstrual Hygiene Products, climate change, message framing, eco-anxiety, environmental sustainability, women's health

Technical Assistance for Child and Adult Care Food Program in Family Child Care Home

This study evaluates the effect of a nutrition technical assistance training program for family child care home providers on the food they serve young children in their care and the food environment in their home. Half the providers will be assigned to the nutrition program and the other half will receive a comparison on environmental health.

Development of a Chatbot-supported Personalized Exercise Program for Older Adults and Evaluation of Its Effects on Cognitive Functions

The purpose of this study is to develop an artificial intelligence-based chatbot application to support exercise behavior in individuals aged 60 and over who do not regularly exercise, and to evaluate its effectiveness. In addition, the study aims to examine the effects of changes in exercise habits on the cognitive (mental) functions of older adults. In this study, the impact of a chatbot-supported personalized exercise program on cognitive functions in older individuals will be evaluated. A total of 90 participants is planned for inclusion in this study. If you agree to participate in this study, depending on the group you are assigned to, you may receive: * An artificial intelligence-based chatbot program, along with educational materials about the importance of exercise, or * Only educational materials (brochures) prepared by the researchers about the importance of exercise. At the beginning of the study, you will be asked to complete a data collection form. The same form will also be administered at week 12 and week 24. This form will include: * Basic information such as your age and gender, * Questions about your exercise habits, * A brief test to assess your cognitive (mental) functions, * Questions evaluating your level of physical activity. The study duration is 24 weeks, including 12 weeks of intervention and 12 weeks of follow-up.

Social Cognitive Theory-Based Education for Improving Health Outcomes in Older Adults

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Social Cognitive Theory-based education program on self-efficacy, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and health literacy in older adults aged 65 years and over attending primary care centers. Participants will be assigned to either an intervention group receiving a structured education program or a control group receiving routine care. The intervention consists of three face-to-face educational sessions delivered weekly. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and 4-6 weeks after the intervention using validated scales. The findings are expected to contribute to improving health behaviors and health literacy among older adults in primary care settings.

HomeStyles-Adults of Chinese Heritage

Individuals of Chinese heritage are the largest and fastest growing segment of the US Asian population. US Chinese have sociodemographic characteristics and culture that differ substantially from other US Asians, and therefore, differ in social determinants of health, health status, and disease risk. US Chinese adults are at increased risk for cardiometabolic disease, related conditions (obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension), and systemic inflammation that promotes disease onset and progression. Immigration to a new country can substantially impact the gut microbiome which may promote systemic inflammation. Pilot interventions indicate a high-fiber diet rich in whole grains reduced inflammation and improved obesity. Additionally, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supported, evidence-based HomeStyles intervention has demonstrated feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy in improving lifestyle behaviors and home environments associated with obesity risk in families. A lack of linguistically, culturally tailored interventions to their specific health needs makes it difficult for US Chinese to implement healthy lifestyle behaviors and reduce health risks. Interventions tailored for US Chinese that could attenuate modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors, understand physiological sequelae, and bridge health equity are not currently available. Thus, the overall goal of this project is to test the efficacy of HomeStyles in improving health outcomes in US Chinese. Project aims are to: A) Culturally adapt the HomeStyles intervention through community-engaged approaches. B) Conduct a 10-week, 2-armed Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to test HomeStyles intervention efficacy on health outcomes (dietary intake, physical activity, self-efficacy, HbA1C, waist circumference, and BMI), hypothesizing that participants randomized to the treatment condition will have greater improvements in health outcomes than control comparators. C) Examine associations between intervention participation and gut microbiota/systemic inflammation and test hypotheses that a whole-grain rich diet adopted by those in the intervention group will increase anti-inflammatory gut bacteria, reduce inflammatory gut bacteria, and lower systemic inflammation.

CCSH (Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health) for Teams

Emory Spiritual Health has developed a Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health group-based intervention, called CCSH Interventions for Teams, and are enrolling staff and providers into the groups in this randomized study design. The groups will meet once every other week for 60 minutes for 8 weeks (4 sessions total). The investigators will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this novel team-based intervention that includes mindfulness and compassion-based approaches with mixed-role oncology teams. Employees (n = 80; nurses, advanced practice providers (APPs), physicians, staff) working at an NCI- designated Comprehensive Cancer Center will be randomized by team (8-12 employees/group) to Compassion Centered Spiritual Health Team Intervention (CCSH-TI) or TAU (Treatment as Usual) group. The research objective is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of CCSH-TI, and to develop and validate a novel, low-burden ambulatory assessment "toolkit" to improve the measurement of psychological safety and burnout.

Health Literacy and Obesogenic Behaviors

The prevalence of adolescent behaviors that can lead to obesity are alarming, and reduced life expectancy is the future of America's youth if behavioral changes are not implemented to improve health and reduce the obesity burden. Researchers have argued that health literacy is a precursor to health knowledge and is necessary for translating knowledge about healthy choices into behavior, with low health literacy being associated with reduced preventive health behaviors in adults. Given the lack of health literacy-specific interventions addressing adolescents' obesogenic behaviors, the purpose of this study is to examine the preliminary effectiveness of adding a health literacy module to an obesity prevention intervention that addresses adolescents' obesogenic behaviors.

Health Surveillance at Constructor University Bremen (CUB) and Among HAW-Hamburg Employees

The aim of Health Surveillance is to analyze and describe the state of health of students at Constructor University, key influencing factors and individual resources by using mixed-method design.