title: Outcome Evaluation of a Policy-Mandated Lifestyle and Environmental Modification Program in a National Job Training Center.
abstract: Excess weight gain is common when adolescents become young adults, but there are no obesity prevention or weight management interventions that have been tested for emerging adults who follow non-traditional post-secondary paths, such as enrolling in job training programs. We evaluated Healthy Eating & Active Lifestyles (HEALs), a policy-mandated lifestyle education/environmental modification program, at a job training center for low-income 16-24 year olds. We examined average change in body mass index (BMI) z-score from baseline to 6 months for emerging adults (aged 16-24 years) in pre-HEALs implementation (n = 125) and post-HEALs implementation (n = 126) cohorts living at the job training center, by baseline weight status. In both cohorts, average BMI z-score significantly increased from baseline to 6 months for students with BMI < 25. Average BMI z-score significantly decreased for the overweight (BMI 25 to <30; -0.11, p = .03) and obese (BMI ≥ 30; -0.11, p = .001) students only within the post-HEALs cohort; changes within the pre-HEALs cohort and between cohorts were not significant. HEALs may promote positive weight-related trends for overweight/obese students, but prevention efforts for non-overweight/obese students need to be improved.
authors.affiliation: Center for Education Policy Research, University of New Mexico (UNM), Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA. eyjimenez@unm.edu.|Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Albuquerque, NM, USA. eyjimenez@unm.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth Yakes
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0315-7022
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, UNM School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: UNM School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luna
authors.affiliation: UNM School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Velasquez
authors.affiliation: UNM School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slovik
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, UNM School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.|Department of Family and Community Medicine, UNM School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Alberta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004493:Education; D015438:Health Behavior; D006291:Health Policy; D000070497:Healthy Lifestyle; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescent; Obesity; School health services; Young adult