NCT01698034

Volunteering and Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents

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

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 106 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of British Columbia · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

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).

Conditions

• Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Volunteering	Weekly volunteering with elementary school children in after school programs

Timeline

• Start date: 2011-09-01
• Primary completion: 2012-01-01
• Completion: 2012-01-01
• First posted: 2012-10-02
• Last updated: 2012-10-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada