Abstract
Background: Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach may increase the likelihood of relevance and acceptability of the designed intervention, especially on a college campus. Furthermore, recruiting and training college students to design a social marketing framed healthy lifestyle intervention for their peers will allow the intervention to be tailored to the needs of the campus. Objectives: To describe the process of online-course training college students to develop a campus-based, social marketing health promotion intervention. Methods: Four universities recruited current college students (18+ y.o.) to develop a social marketing and environmental intervention (SMEI), which was completed during a 16-week, online/in-person hybrid semester course. Researchers and Extension professionals trained students to design 24 weeks of intervention events that would be implemented the upcoming year. Results: Seventy-eight students enrolled in the study and social marketing and environmental intervention course among the four intervention states (Florida = 30, South Dakota = 8, Tennessee = 13, West Virginia = 27); students were predominately Caucasian (65.8%), females (84.0%), and sophomore status in college (64.9%). Throughout the semester, students assessed their campus environments, set priorities, and developed weekly events and resources needed to implement the intervention on their campuses. By the end of the semester, with researcher support, students had designed 24 weeks of intervention events (marketing, recruiting, and implementation) focusing on nutrition/food/diet, physical activity, stress management, sleep, and time management. These events and resources were catalogued into a digital toolkit of instructions and activities for each week of intervention events. Conclusion: Using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach with college students interested in health allows for the development of an intervention that stems from grass roots efforts and is tailored to the acceptability and needs of their peers.
Highlights
Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach may increase the likelihood of relevance and acceptability of the designed intervention, especially on a college campus
Genetics contribute to obesity, it is unlikely that biology alone is the cause of its increased prevalence; researchers have begun focusing on behavioral and environmental aspects to target obesity prevention, in college-aged individuals [3]
Throughout the two-day training camp, students progressed through activities and discussions on how to properly communicate and serve as a role model, provide a safe and inclusive environment, and allow their future participants to master the intervention’s health-related content
Summary
Get Fruved uses CBPR to increase healthy lifestyles among a college population, first year students at higher risk for weight gain and other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. This portion of the Fruved intervention was the developmental phase and no evaluation of a program took place. University of Florida (FL), South Dakota State University (SD), University of Tennessee (UT), and West. The multi-state umbrella Institutional Review Board (IRB) at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, approved the study for UT, WVU, and SDSU (IRB approval #14-09366 B-XP). The University of Florida IRB approved the same strategies for activities at the University of Florida (IRB approval #2014-U-0547FRUVED). This study was prospectively registered in October 2016 on clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02941497
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