# Health Literacy as a Vehicle to Reduce Obesogenic Behaviors Among Adolescents: A Pilot Intervention

> **NIH NIH R21** · GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY · 2020 · $162,349

## Abstract

Project Abstract
 The prevalence rates of adolescents' obesogenic behaviors are alarming, and reduced life expectancy
is the future of America's youth if behavioral changes are not implemented to improve health and reduce the
obesity burden. Approximately 69% and 73% of adolescents do not consume daily recommended fruits and
vegetables respectively, while 53% engage in insufficient physical activity. These behaviors magnify risks for
obesity-related disease burden in adolescence and adulthood including type 2 diabetes, rates of which have
increased markedly among adolescents and young adults. Reversing obesity trends requires emphasis on
prevention with novel and sustainable intervention strategies to address adolescents' obesogenic behaviors.
 Predictive theoretical models suggest that health knowledge works in conjunction with motivation and
behavioral skills to influence adolescents' obesogenic behavior. However, most existing adolescent
interventions target these variables in isolation. Further, health literacy (HL), a precursor to health knowledge,
is necessary for translating health knowledge into behavior and is negatively related to adolescents' obesity
status. HL is the ability to access, understand, and utilize health information to make informed health decisions.
It includes four categories: functional (reading, writing, and numeracy skills), interactive (use health knowledge
to communicate and interact with others and environment), critical (advocate for self/others through action),
and media (critically analyze health-related media). Yet, HL has not been included in interventions targeting
adolescents. We hypothesize that the inclusion of HL into evidence-based interventions will increase
intervention effectiveness and behavioral outcomes.
 Our long-term goal is to reduce the incidence of obesity and chronic disease risk in adolescents
through interventions that address individual and contextual factors related to long-term health decision-making
and behavior change. The goal of the proposed study is to pilot test the effectiveness of adding a HL module
to an obesity prevention intervention that addresses adolescents' obesogenic behaviors. For Aim 1, we will
modify successful components from established obesity interventions into an interactive digital platform with
and without HL modules. We will test the intervention for accessibility and usability among adolescents 14-16-
years-old and modify and retest the intervention iteratively until it is acceptable to adolescents. For Aim 2, the
intervention will be piloted among 76 adolescents in a two-arm randomized-controlled-trial to assess
preliminary effectiveness and feasibility. The major innovations of the study are the inclusion of HL, a
potentially critical factor in adolescents' obesogenic behaviors, and the use of an interactive digital platform for
the intervention. We anticipate that the results of this pilot study will lay the groundwork for a future large-scale
clinical tria...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10241209
- **Project number:** 7R21DK117345-03
- **Recipient organization:** GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY
- **Principal Investigator:** Sasha Althea Fleary
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $162,349
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10241209

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10241209, Health Literacy as a Vehicle to Reduce Obesogenic Behaviors Among Adolescents: A Pilot Intervention (7R21DK117345-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10241209. Licensed CC0.

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