Three hundred Black and Latino young people in Chicago will be recruited to participate in the first-of-its-kind clinical trial to measure the potential health benefits of youth-led racial justice exercise. Funded by a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the five-year study will evaluate whether exercise can reduce depressive symptoms in minority youth and change physiological factors known to increase with exposure to racism, such as blood pressure and markers of stress and inflammation in the blood.
The study, led by Nia Hurd-Garis, MD, MBA, MSc, of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and Eran Hope, PhD, of Policy Research Associates, will randomly assign half of the participants to an intervention group and the other half to a control group. Teens in the intervention group will receive summer training in the skills needed to run an impactful advocacy campaign. The control group will learn what Dr. Hurd-Garis calls “Adulting 101,” a wide range of life skills, from typical adult jobs like banking to succeeding in college. Data on psychological and physiological measures will be collected from both groups at baseline and at six-month intervals for two years after the intervention.
“This trial is innovative in that it approaches social movement as a health promotion,” said Dr. Hurd Garris, a researcher and pediatrician at Lurie Children’s Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It’s well known that structural racism and discrimination lead to chronic stress and poor health outcomes, including metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes. Social movement may be an untapped tool that can be leveraged to improve the long-term health of Black and Latino youth.”
The current clinical trial builds on promising results from a pilot study funded by the Stanley Manne Pediatric Research Institute at Lurie Children’s Hospital and conducted by Dr. Hurd-Garis, who directs the Manne Institute’s ARISE (Adversity, Racism, Inequality, Structures, Empowerment) Health Research Institute.
“We piloted an activity intervention that resulted in clinically significant reductions in depression symptoms and trended upward indices of resilience. We found that teens liked having a safe place to go and learning how to help their community. And we were thrilled to see these young people continue to participate in activities long after the pilot study ended.”
Dr. Hurd Garris, researcher and pediatrician, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Another unique feature of the current study is the establishment of a Youth Advisory Committee of 10–12 members, who will guide content creation for the intervention and control groups, assist with participant recruitment and retention, and provide critical insight into what is important to teens.
“The Youth Advisory Board allows our research team to develop valuable working relationships with teens,” said Dr. Hurd-Garris. “Their lived experiences and perspectives will be essential to the success of this project. We also plan to collaborate with community partners in our efforts to recruit study participants. We are excited to begin this important study.”
Research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, conducted through the Stanley Mann Children’s Research Institute, is focused on improving children’s health, transforming pediatric care and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Lurie Children’s Hospital is a nonprofit organization committed to providing excellent care to all children. The hospital is ranked as one of the top children’s hospitals in the United States. U.S. News & World Report. Lurie Children’s Hospital is the site of pediatric training at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
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Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
