Linking Churches With Parks to Increase Physical Activity Among Latinos

NCT ID: NCT03858868

Last Updated: 2025-06-08

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 925 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-03-03
• Study Completion Date: 2025-04-30

Brief Summary

This study is a cluster randomized controlled trial of a multi-level intervention that links Latino Catholic churches (n=14) with their local parks to increase physical activity among Latino parishioners (n=1204) in Los Angeles. The study will examine the impact of the intervention on Latino parishioners' PA and health-related outcomes; explore differences in the intervention's effectiveness by gender; and evaluate factors associated with implementation for future dissemination. If successful, the intervention has the potential for sustainability and scale-up across the largest diocese in the U.S. and potentially across the nation.

Detailed Description

Engaging in regular physical activity (PA) contributes to positive health outcomes, including longevity, better quality of life, and reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression, certain cancers, and obesity; however, only a minority of U.S. adults meet the minimum guidelines for moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), and Latinos are less likely than whites to report meeting the guidelines. Public parks comprise local infrastructure that can be leveraged for community PA, but tend to be underutilized, particularly in low-income communities. Parks in low-income and minority communities tend to have less PA programming, especially targeting adults, and higher crime and other factors that affect park use. There is a need for interventions that address community concerns, target the built environment, and "activate" park use. Churches are credible, stable entities that have significant reach within Latino communities and a history of social service provision and advocacy related to health and well-being. The investigators' prior research has found that church-based interventions can be effective across a wide range of health issues and types of churches. This study combines approaches from the research team's extensive prior work with churches and parks to conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial of a multi-level intervention that links Latino Catholic churches (n=14) with their local parks to increase PA among Latino parishioners (n=1204) in Los Angeles. The specific aims are to: (1) Examine the impact of a multi-level church-based intervention that links Catholic parishes to their local parks on Latino parishioners' PA and health-related outcomes (effects on parishioners' MVPA and self-reported PA, heart rate/fitness, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, body fat, mental health, and perceived social support for PA); (2) Explore differences in the effectiveness of the intervention by gender; and (3) Evaluate factors associated with intervention implementation (facilitators, barriers, fidelity, and replication costs) for future dissemination. The approach targets multiple levels to promote health-enhancing PA through park-based fitness classes led by kinesiology students, peer leader-led walking groups, park-based church events, and church-based PA support activities. It integrates churches' vast social networks, moral authority, and influence with parks' structural and organizational capacity and kinesiology student interns' professional expertise. The intervention makes use of innovative partnerships within and across sectors - faith-based, local parks/city government, and local universities. The inter-sectoral, collaborative approach makes the intervention scalable and sustainable in real-world settings and incorporates action at multiple levels (individuals, churches, and neighborhoods). To the investigators' knowledge, this will be the first study to examine the effectiveness of an integrated church and park-based intervention on Latinos' PA, and it will provide a sustainable model of PA programming in low-income communities. If the intervention proves effective, the increased community capacity through this partnership will lay the groundwork for scale-up across the largest diocese in the U.S. and, potentially, the nation.

Conditions

Physical Activity

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Church and park-based intervention

Participants at intervention churches will be offered: texting intervention (messages about physical activity); peer leader training; walking groups; park-based fitness classes; sermons; participation in park advisory board; community advocacy.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Church and park-based intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Multiple components involving motivational messages and concrete opportunities for physical activity at the church and the local park.

Publicly available physical activity materials

Participants at control churches will be offered standard health educational materials (brochures, tip sheets, posters) about physical activity.

Group Type: OTHER

Standard health education on physical activity

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive publicly available brochures, tip sheets, etc. about physical activity

Interventions

Church and park-based intervention

Multiple components involving motivational messages and concrete opportunities for physical activity at the church and the local park.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Standard health education on physical activity

Participants will receive publicly available brochures, tip sheets, etc. about physical activity

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Does not currently meet physical activity guidelines (150 minutes per week)
• Regularly attends study church
• Does not have health condition that would preclude physical activity

Exclusion Criteria

• Regularly engages in 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity
• Does not regularly attend study church
• Has health condition that would preclude physical activity

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

California State University, Los Angeles

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

San Diego State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

RAND

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Kathryn Derose

Senior Policy Researcher

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Kathryn P Derose, PhD, MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

RAND

Locations

RAND Corporation

Santa Monica, California, United States

Countries

United States

References

Derose KP, Cohen DA, Han B, Arredondo EM, Perez LG, Larson A, Loy S, Mata MA, Castro G, De Guttry R, Rodriguez C, Seelam R, Whitley MD, Perez S. Linking churches and parks to promote physical activity among Latinos: Rationale and design of the Parishes & Parks cluster randomized trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2022 Dec;123:106954. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2022.106954. Epub 2022 Oct 4.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 36206951 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

R01CA218188

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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