Guys/Girls Opt for Activities for Life Trial (GOAL) to Increase Young Adolescents' Physical Activity and Healthy Eating

In this 2-phase trial (R61/R33), we propose Guys/Girls Opt for Activities for Life (GOAL). Guided by Self-Determination Theory and the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model, GOAL will target the school and home environment to increase young adolescents' physical activity (PA) and healthy eating by increasing important factors at the individual-level: motivation and self-efficacy; and socioenvironmental-level: social support. The 4-month (16-wk) GOAL intervention has 3 components: (1) After-school GOAL Club: 26 events (2 d/wk; 120 min/event/day; 13 weeks due to no club during 3 school break weeks) for boys and girls to engage in PA and healthy eating/cooking activities; (2) Three parent-adolescent meetings (1st meeting at each school, which is also conducted synchronously via Zoom to increase convenience for parents who are not able to meet in-person at the school for various reasons; 2nd and 3rd meetings video-recorded and delivered asynchronously to accommodate and meet the needs of busy parents who have varying schedules due to work, home, and other responsibilities): to empower parents to assist adolescents with PA and healthy eating/cooking; and (3) GOAL social networking website: private website (already developed) for parents to learn about healthy eating and PA, network with other parents, and share with each other about how they helped their adolescent(s) increase PA and diet quality each week. The purpose of this individual randomized controlled trial (unit of assignment is adolescent) is to evaluate the effect of GOAL on decreasing cardiovascular disease risk factors (high percent body fat, overweight/obesity, low cardiovascular fitness), improving quality of life; and increasing motivation, self-efficacy, and social support to increase moderate-to-vigorous PA and diet quality among adolescents (5th-8th grade) throughout the state of Michigan. All interested adolescents who meet eligibility criteria and have parental consent will be included. We