Clinical trial · Interventional
Using Middle School Science Teachers to Address Cancer Health Disparities
Using Middle School Science Teachers to Address Health Disparities
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The CARES4You study is testing a middle school science curriculum designed to teach students about cancer risk and prevention. The lessons are taught by regular science teachers during class time and are aligned with national science education standards. The curriculum includes six units (14 lessons) that help students learn about cancer, understand how lifestyle and environmental factors influence risk, and think about ways to make healthy choices. The study will take place in 10 public middle schools in New York City. Some schools will begin using the CARES4You curriculum right away, while others will continue with their usual science lessons and receive the program later. Researchers will compare the two groups of schools. The main goal of the study is to see whether the curriculum increases students' intentions to engage in healthy behaviors that may reduce cancer risk. The study will also examine whether students talk more with their caregivers about cancer risk and prevention after participating in the program. Caregivers may also report on some health behaviors in the household. If the program is effective, CARES4You could provide schools with a practical and sustainable way to teach cancer prevention and promote healthy behaviors among adolescents and their families.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer Prevention | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Cancer Risk Factors | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARES4You Curriculum | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Immediate Intervention Delivery
- description
- Students in the immediate intervention group will receive the CARES4You curriculum as part of their regular science class. They will complete study assessments before the curriculum begins (baseline) and again approximately six weeks later, after the curriculum has been delivered. Caregivers will complete a one-time survey about cancer risk communication in the household and their own health behaviors approximately two weeks after the curriculum has been completed in their child's classroom.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: CARES4You Curriculum
- type
- PLACEBO_COMPARATOR
- label
- Delayed Intervention Delivery
- description
- Schools assigned to the delayed intervention group will continue with their usual science curriculum during the initial study period. Students will complete the same study assessments as the intervention group at baseline and approximately six weeks later. After completion of the follow-up assessments, these schools will implement the CARES4You curriculum the following semester or academic year.
- interventionNames
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 10 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Adolescents: * Age 10-13 * Attends a NYC Public Middle School * Resides in one of the study's four target PPA's * Parents/Caregivers: * 18 years of age or older * Has at least one child registered for middle school in NYC that resides with them * Resides in one of the study's four target PPA's * Able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Adolescents: Students who do not attend one of the participating NYC Public Middle Schools * Parents/Caregivers: Caregivers who do not have a child that attends one of the participating NYC Public Middle Schools
References
Publications (1)
- BACKGROUNDKomsany A, McCooty K, Fox J, Shah U, Leak TM, McDonald JA, Terry MB, Soroka O, Phillips E. Integrating Cancer Prevention into Science Education: Development of the CARES4You School-based Curriculum. J Cancer Educ. 2025 Dec 22:10.1007/s13187-025-02812-x. doi: 10.1007/s13187-025-02812-x. Online ahead of print. PMID 41428312