News from NHLBI: Nutrition Research at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Future Opportunities.

BACKGROUND: Nutrition plays a major role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases; hence, nutrition research is a priority for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The purpose of this analysis is to describe the scope of NHLBI-funded extramural nutrition research grants over the past decade and offer insights into future opportunities for nutrition research relevant to NHLBI's mission. METHODS: Data were extracted using the Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization spending categories from the publicly available NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool Expenditures and Results. New 2018 and 2019 grants were coded into categories and mapped to the 2016 NHLBI Strategic Vision priorities. RESULTS: Approximately 90% of nutrition research funds supported extramural grants, particularly through investigator-initiated R series grants (69.6%). Of these, 19.8% were classified as clinical trials. Consistent nutrition-related topics, including physical activity, weight loss, fatty acids, metabolic syndrome, childhood obesity, and other topics such as gut microbiota, arterial stiffness, sleep duration, and meal timing, emerged in 2014-2019.  Mapping of the NHLBI Strategic Vision objectives revealed that 32% of newly funded grants focused on pathobiological mechanisms important to the onset and progression of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders, with opportunities including developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and clinical and implementation science research. DISCUSSION: The findings show the breadth of NHLBI-funded nutrition research and highlight potential research opportunities for nutrition scientists.

Dietary patterns and associations with BMI in low-income, ethnic minority youth in the USA according to baseline data from four randomised controlled trials.

Few studies have derived data-driven dietary patterns in youth in the USA. This study examined data-driven dietary patterns and their associations with BMI measures in predominantly low-income, racial/ethnic minority US youth. Data were from baseline assessments of the four Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) Consortium trials: NET-Works (534 2-4-year-olds), GROW (610 3-5-year-olds), GOALS (241 7-11-year-olds) and IMPACT (360 10-13-year-olds). Weight and height were measured. Children/adult proxies completed three 24-h dietary recalls. Dietary patterns were derived for each site from twenty-four food/beverage groups using k-means cluster analysis. Multivariable linear regression models examined associations of dietary patterns with BMI and percentage of the 95th BMI percentile. Healthy (produce and whole grains) and Unhealthy (fried food, savoury snacks and desserts) patterns were found in NET-Works and GROW. GROW additionally had a dairy- and sugar-sweetened beverage-based pattern. GOALS had a similar Healthy pattern and a pattern resembling a traditional Mexican diet. Associations between dietary patterns and BMI were only observed in IMPACT. In IMPACT, youth in the Sandwich (cold cuts, refined grains, cheese and miscellaneous) compared with Mixed (whole grains and desserts) cluster had significantly higher BMI (ß = 0·99 (95 % CI 0·01, 1·97)) and percentage of the 95th BMI percentile (ß = 4·17 (95 % CI 0·11, 8·24)). Healthy and Unhealthy patterns were the most common dietary patterns in COPTR youth, but diets may differ according to age, race/ethnicity or geographic location. Public health messages focused on healthy dietary substitutions may help youth mimic a dietary pattern associated with lower BMI.

Nutrition Disparities and Cardiovascular Health.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review is an assessment of the state of the science on nutrition disparities and their contribution to disparities in cardiovascular health. RECENT FINDINGS: Nutrition disparities remain pervasive by race/ethnicity, sex/gender, socioeconomic status, and geography. They are rooted in differences in social, cultural, and environmental determinants of health, behavioral and lifestyle factors, and the impact of policy interventions. Systematic differences in diet quality, dietary patterns, and nutrient intakes contribute to cardiovascular disparities and are mediated by microbiota, and CVD risk factors including high levels of blood pressure, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and glucose; oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and endothelial dysfunction. Despite the progress made in nutrition research, important gaps persist that signal the need for more effective interventions at multiple levels to reduce cardiovascular disparities. Research opportunities include (1) exploring the gene-nutrient-environment interactions in the context of ancestral diversity; (2) investigating the causal link between diet and gut microbiota and impact of social determinants of health; (3) understanding resilience; (4) testing the effectiveness of multi-level interventions that address social and environmental determinants; and (4) supporting intervention research informed by validated implementation science frameworks.

Reducing Cardiovascular Disparities Through Community-Engaged Implementation Research: A National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Workshop Report.

Cardiovascular disparities remain pervasive in the United States. Unequal disease burden is evident among population groups based on sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational attainment, nativity, or geography. Despite the significant declines in cardiovascular disease mortality rates in all demographic groups during the last 50 years, large disparities remain by sex, race, ethnicity, and geography. Recent data from modeling studies, linked micromap plots, and small-area analyses also demonstrate prominent variation in cardiovascular disease mortality rates across states and counties, with an especially high disease burden in the southeastern United States and Appalachia. Despite these continued disparities, few large-scale intervention studies have been conducted in these high-burden populations to examine the feasibility of reducing or eliminating cardiovascular disparities. To address this challenge, on June 22 and 23, 2017, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute convened experts from a broad range of biomedical, behavioral, environmental, implementation, and social science backgrounds to summarize the current state of knowledge of cardiovascular disease disparities and propose intervention strategies aligned with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute mission. This report presents the themes, challenges, opportunities, available resources, and recommended actions discussed at the workshop.

Sedentary Behaviors in Today's Youth: Approaches to the Prevention and Management of Childhood Obesity: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

This scientific statement is about sedentary behavior and its relationship to obesity and other cardiometabolic outcomes in youth. A deleterious effect of sedentary behavior on cardiometabolic health is most notable for screen-based behaviors and adiposity; however, this relation is less apparent for other cardiometabolic outcomes or when sedentary time is measured with objective movement counters or position monitors. Increasing trends of screen time are concerning; the portability of screen-based devices and abundant access to unlimited programming and online content may be leading to new patterns of consumption that are exposing youth to multiple pathways harmful to cardiometabolic health. This American Heart Association scientific statement provides an updated perspective on sedentary behaviors specific to modern youth and their impact on cardiometabolic health and obesity. As we reflect on implications for practice, research, and policy, what emerges is the importance of understanding the context in which sedentary behaviors occur. There is also a need to capture the nature of sedentary behavior more accurately, both quantitatively and qualitatively, especially with respect to recreational screen-based devices. Further evidence is required to better inform public health interventions and to establish detailed quantitative guidelines on specific sedentary behaviors in youth. In the meantime, we suggest that televisions and other recreational screen-based devices be removed from bedrooms and absent during meal times. Daily device-free social interactions and outdoor play should be encouraged. In addition, parents/guardians should be supported to devise and enforce appropriate screen time regulations and to model healthy screen-based behaviors.

Childhood and Adolescent Adversity and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Adverse experiences in childhood and adolescence, defined as subjectively perceived threats to the safety or security of the child's bodily integrity, family, or social structures, are known to be associated with cardiometabolic outcomes over the life course into adulthood. This American Heart Association scientific statement reviews the scientific literature on the influence of childhood adversity on cardiometabolic outcomes that constitute the greatest public health burden in the United States, including obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. This statement also conceptually outlines pathways linking adversity to cardiometabolic health, identifies evidence gaps, and provides suggestions for future research to inform practice and policy. We note that, despite a lack of objective agreement on what subjectively qualifies as exposure to childhood adversity and a dearth of prospective studies, substantial evidence documents an association between childhood adversity and cardiometabolic outcomes across the life course. Future studies that focus on mechanisms, resiliency, and vulnerability factors would further strengthen the evidence and provide much-needed information on targets for effective interventions. Given that childhood adversities affect cardiometabolic health and multiple health domains across the life course, interventions that ameliorate these initial upstream exposures may be more appropriate than interventions remediating downstream cardiovascular disease risk factor effects later in life.

Developing a research agenda for cardiovascular disease prevention in high-risk rural communities.

The National Institutes of Health convened a workshop to engage researchers and practitioners in dialogue on research issues viewed as either unique or of particular relevance to rural areas, key content areas needed to inform policy and practice in rural settings, and ways rural contexts may influence study design, implementation, assessment of outcomes, and dissemination. Our purpose was to develop a research agenda to address the disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors among populations living in rural areas. Complementary presentations used theoretical and methodological principles to describe research and practice examples from rural settings. Participants created a comprehensive CVD research agenda that identified themes and challenges, and provided 21 recommendations to guide research, practice, and programs in rural areas.

A Community Guide Systematic Review: School Dietary and Physical Activity Interventions.

CONTEXT: Schools can play an important role in supporting a healthy lifestyle by offering nutritious foods and beverages and providing opportunities for physical activity. A healthy diet and regular physical activity may reduce the risk of obesity. This manuscript reports on a Community Guide systematic review examining the effectiveness of interventions in schools combining school meal or fruit and vegetable snack programs and physical activity. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Studies meeting the intervention definition were identified from a literature search (search period: January 1990-November 2019). Community Guide systematic review methods were used to assess effectiveness as measured by dietary behavior, physical activity, and weight changes; analyses were conducted in 2020. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Interventions (n=24 studies) were considered effective for increasing physical activity (median increase=21.8 minutes/day; interquartile interval= -0.8 to 27.4 minutes/day), modestly increasing fruit and vegetable intake (median relative increase=12.1%; interquartile interval= -4.6%, 73.4%), and decreasing the prevalence of overweight and obesity (median decrease=2.5 percentage points; interquartile interval= -8.1, -1.6 percentage points) among elementary school students through sixth grade. There were not enough studies to determine the effectiveness of interventions for middle- and high-school students. CONCLUSIONS: School meal or fruit and vegetable snack interventions combined with physical activity were effective in increasing physical activity, with modest effects for improving fruit and vegetable consumption and reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity among elementary students. These results may inform researchers and school administrators about healthy eating and physical activity interventions.

Perspectives: on Precision Nutrition Research in Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases and Sleep Disorders.

The release of the 2020-2030 Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research (SPNR) and its emphasis on precision nutrition has provided an opportunity to identify future nutrition research that addresses individual variability in response to diet and nutrition across the life span-including those relevant to the Strategic Vision of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The SPNR and the NHLBI's Strategic Vision were developed with extensive input from the extramural research community, and both have 4 overarching strategic goals within which are embedded several objectives for research. For the SPNR, these include 1) spur discovery science and normal biological functions (e.g., role of the microbiome in health and disease), 2) population science to understand individual differences (e.g., biomarkers including 'omics that predict disease status), 3) emerging scientific areas of investigation and their application (e.g., data science, artificial intelligence), and 4) cross-cutting themes (e.g., training the scientific workforce and minority health and health disparities). These strategic goals and objectives serve as blueprints for research and training. Nutrition remains important in the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders and diseases, and the NHLBI has played a pivotal role in supporting nutrition research. In this paper, we report important gaps in the scientific literature related to precision nutrition in HLBS diseases. Research opportunities that could stimulate precision nutrition and their alignment with the SPNR and the NHLBI Strategic Vision Objectives are provided. These opportunities include 1) exploring individual differences in response to varying dietary patterns and nutrients; 2) investigating genetic/epigenetic, biological (e.g., microbiome, biomarkers), social, psychosocial, and environmental underpinnings of individual variability in diet; 3) elucidating the role of circadian rhythm and chrononutrition; and 4) applying implementation science research methods in precision nutrition interventions relevant to HLBS diseases.

Childhood obesity prevention across borders: A National Institutes of Health commentary.

In response to the increasing rates of childhood obesity, the United States and countries across Latin America have invested in research that tests innovative strategies and interventions. Despite this, progress has been slow, uneven, and sporadic, calling for increased knowledge exchange and research collaboration that accelerate the adaptation and implementation of promising childhood obesity interventions. To share research results, challenges, and proven intervention strategies among Latin American and US researchers, particularly those working with Latino and Latin American populations, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened researchers from the United States and Latin America to highlight synergies between research conducted in Latin America and among Latino populations in the United States with the goal of catalyzing new relationships and identifying common research questions and strategies. This article highlights the NIH's research and priorities in childhood obesity prevention as well as areas for future direction, including overarching NIH plans and NIH institutes, centers, and offices investments in specific areas related to childhood obesity prevention in Latin America and/or among Latino populations in the United States.

Social-cognitive correlates of physical activity in a multi-ethnic cohort of middle-school girls: two-year prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The study examined social-cognitive correlates of physical activity in a multi-ethnic cohort of girls from six regions of the United States who participated in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls during their 6th and 8th grade school years. METHODS: Girls completed validated questionnaires and wore accelerometers that measured weekly physical activity in the spring of 2002 and 2005. RESULTS: In 8th grade, self-efficacy and perceived social support had indirect relations with physical activity mediated through perceived barriers, which was inversely related to physical activity. Self-efficacy also had a direct relation with physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Correlations were smaller than those obtained in studies that measured physical activity by self-reports, suggesting that previous estimates were inflated by common method artifact. Nonetheless, physical activity trials among girls during early adolescence might focus on increasing self-efficacy for overcoming barriers to physical activity and on ways by which perceived barriers can otherwise be reduced.

Healthier Food and Beverage Interventions in Schools: Four Community Guide Systematic Reviews.

CONTEXT: Healthy eating during childhood is important for optimal growth and helps reduce the risk of obesity, which has potentially serious health consequences. Changing the school food environment may offer one way to improve students' dietary intake. This manuscript reports 4 Community Guide systematic reviews examining the effectiveness of interventions in schools promoting healthy eating and weight. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: School obesity prevention programs aiming to improve diet were identified from a 2013 Agency for Health Care Research and Quality systematic review and an updated search (August 2012-January 4, 2017). In 2017-2018, Community Guide systematic review methods were used to assess effectiveness as determined by dietary behavior and weight changes. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Interventions improving school meals or offering fruits and vegetables (n=27 studies) are considered effective. Evidence is insufficient to determine the effectiveness of interventions supporting healthier snack foods and beverages outside of school meal programs given inconsistent findings (n=13 studies). Multicomponent interventions to increase availability of healthier foods and beverages are considered effective. These interventions must include 1 component from school meals or fruit and vegetable programs and interventions supporting healthier snack foods and beverages (n=12 studies). There is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of interventions to increase water access because only 2 studies met inclusion criteria. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 2 school-based dietary interventions have favorable effects for improving dietary habits and modest effects for improving or maintaining weight. More evidence is needed regarding interventions with insufficient findings. These reviews may inform researchers and school administrators about healthy eating and obesity prevention interventions.

Mediators affecting girls' levels of physical activity outside of school: findings from the trial of activity in adolescent girls.

BACKGROUND: Providing after school activities is a community level approach for reducing the decline in physical activity of girls as they reach early adolescence. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine psychosocial, environmental, and behavioral factors as potential mediators of after school physical activity in adolescent girls. METHODS: We assessed objectively measured levels of physical activity occurring outside of school and potential predictors and mediators of activity in girls participating in the Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls (TAAG). RESULTS: We found that the TAAG intervention had a statistically significant and positive effect on out of school activity in the 2006 cohort. Self-efficacy, friends' social support, total social support, and difficulty getting to and from community activities mediated the level of moderate to vigorous physical activity in girls. CONCLUSIONS: Parents, communities, and schools should provide and enhance opportunities outside of the school day for adolescents to be active. Reducing transportation barriers and enlisting social support appear to be key.

Baseline diet quality of predominantly minority children and adolescents from households characterized by low socioeconomic status in the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) Consortium.

BACKGROUND: The Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) is a measure of diet quality that examines conformance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The objectives of this study were to estimate baseline diet quality of predominantly low-income minority children using the HEI-2010 and to identify the most important HEI components to target for dietary intervention. METHODS: Two or three baseline 24 h dietary recalls were collected in-person or over telephone between May 2012 and June 2014 from 1,745 children and adolescents from four randomized clinical trials in the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) Consortium. Nine adequacy and three moderation food components were calculated and averaged to determine overall HEI scores. The overall HEI-2010 scores were categorized as ≥81, 51-80, or ≤ 50 based on the HEI-2005 classification. For each study, mean overall and component HEI scores were estimated using linear regression models. RESULTS: Mean (95% CI) overall HEI scores ranged from 47.9 (46.8, 49.0) to 64.5 (63.6, 65.4). Only 0.3 to 8.1% of children and adolescents had HEI-2010 score ≥ 81. The average component score for green and beans was less than 30% of maximum score for all trials. In contrast, the average component score for protein, dairy (except for IMPACT), and empty calories (except forIMPACT) was more than 80% of maximum score. CONCLUSIONS: Based on HEI-2010 scores, few children and adolescents consumed high quality diets. Dietary interventions for children and adolescents should focus on improving intakes of green vegetables and beans. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBERS: GROW study (clinical trial # NCT01316653); NET-Works study (clinical trial #NCT01606891); Stanford Goals (clinical trial #NCT01642836); IMPACT (clinical trial # NCT01514279).

Recruitment strategies for predominantly low-income, multi-racial/ethnic children and parents to 3-year community-based intervention trials: Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) Consortium.

BACKGROUND: The recruitment of participants into community-based randomized controlled trials studying childhood obesity is often challenging, especially from low-income racial/ethnical minorities and when long-term participant commitments are required. This paper describes strategies used to recruit and enroll predominately low-income racial/ethnic minority parents and children into the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) consortium. METHODS: The COPTR consortium has run four independent 3-year, multi-level (individual, family, school, clinic, and community) community-based randomized controlled trials. Two were prevention trials in preschool children and the other two were treatment trials in pre-adolescents and adolescent youth. All trials reported monthly participant recruitment numbers using a standardized method over the projected 18-24 months of recruitment. After randomization of participants was completed, recruitment staff and investigators from each trial retrospectively completed a survey of recruitment strategies and their perceived top three recruitment strategies and barriers. RESULTS: Recruitment was completed in 15-21 months across trials, enrolling a total of 1745 parent-child dyads- out of 6314 screened. The number of children screened per randomized child was 4.6 and 3.5 in the two prevention trials, and 3.1 and 2.5 in the two treatment trials. Recruitment strategies reported included: (1) careful planning, (2) working with trusting community partners, (3) hiring recruitment staff who were culturally sensitive, personality appropriate, and willing to work flexible hours, (4) contacting potential participants actively and repeatedly, (5) recruiting at times and locations convenient for participants, (6) providing incentives to participants to complete baseline measures, (7) using a tracking database, (8) evaluating whether participants understand the activities and expectations of the study, and (9) assessing participants' motivation for participating. Working with community partners, hiring culturally sensitive staff, and contacting potential participants repeatedly were cited by two trials among their top three strategies. The requirement of a 3-year commitment to the trial was cited by two trials to be among the top three recruitment barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive strategies that include community partnership support, culturally sensitive recruitment staff, and repeated contacts with potential participants can result in successful recruitment of low-income racial/ethnic minority families into obesity prevention and treatment trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NET-Works trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01606891 . Registered on 28 May 2012. GROW trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01316653 . Registered on 16 March 2011. GOALS trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01642836 . Registered on 17 July 2012. IMPACT trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01514279 . Registered on 23 January 2012.

Two Family Interventions to Reduce BMI in Low-Income Urban Youth: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Our primary aim was to evaluate the effects of 2 family-based obesity management interventions compared with a control group on BMI in low-income adolescents with overweight or obesity. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, 360 urban-residing youth and a parent were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 behaviorally distinct family interventions or an education-only control group. Eligible children were entering the sixth grade with a BMI ≥85th percentile. Interventions were 3 years in length; data were collected annually for 3 years. Effects of the interventions on BMI slope (primary outcome) over 3 years and a set of secondary outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Participants were primarily African American (77%), had a family income of <25 000 per year, and obese at enrollment (68%). BMI increased over time in all study groups, with group increases ranging from 0.95 to 1.08. In an intent-to-treat analysis, no significant differences were found in adjusted BMI slopes between either of the family-based interventions and the control group (P = .35). No differences were found between the experimental and control groups on secondary outcomes of diet, physical activity, sleep, perceived stress, or cardiometabolic factors. No evidence of effect modification of the study arms by sex, race and/or ethnicity, household income, baseline levels of child and parent obesity, or exposure to a school fitness program were found. CONCLUSIONS: In this low-income, adolescent population, neither of the family-based interventions improved BMI or health-related secondary outcomes. Future interventions should more fully address poverty and other social issues contributing to childhood obesity.

Advancing Nutrition Education, Training, and Research for Medical Students, Residents, Fellows, Attending Physicians, and Other Clinicians: Building Competencies and Interdisciplinary Coordination.

Nutrition plays an important role in health promotion and disease prevention and treatment across the lifespan. Physicians and other healthcare professionals are expected to counsel patients about nutrition, but recent surveys report minimal to no improvements in medical nutrition education in US medical schools. A workshop sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute addressed this gap in knowledge by convening experts in clinical and academic health professional schools. Representatives from the National Board of Medical Examiners, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and the American Society for Nutrition provided relevant presentations. Reported is an overview of lessons learned from nutrition education efforts in medical schools and health professional schools including interprofessional domains and competency-based nutrition education. Proposed is a framework for coordinating activities of various entities using a public-private partnership platform. Recommendations for nutrition research and accreditation are provided.

Childhood obesity prevention and treatment: recommendations for future research.

This report summarizes the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group's recommendations on future research directions in childhood obesity prevention and treatment. The Working Group consisted of leaders and representatives from public and private academic and medical institutions with expertise in a variety of health specialties. They reviewed the literature and discussed the findings as well as their own experiences in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. The Working Group made recommendations that were based on scientific importance, the potential likelihood of public health impact, and the feasibility and timeliness for childhood obesity prevention and treatment research. These recommendations are intended to assist investigators in the development of research agendas to advance the knowledge of effective childhood obesity prevention and treatment.

Promoting physical activity in middle school girls: Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is important for weight control and good health; however, activity levels decline in the adolescent years, particularly in girls. DESIGN: Group randomized controlled trial. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Middle school girls with English-speaking skills and no conditions to prevent participation in physical activity in 36 schools in six geographically diverse areas of the United States. Random, cross-sectional samples were drawn within schools: 6th graders in 2003 (n=1721) and 8th graders in 2005 (n=3504) and 2006 (n=3502). INTERVENTION: A 2-year study-directed intervention (fall 2003 to spring 2005) targeted schools, community agencies, and girls to increase opportunities, support, and incentives for increased physical activity. Components included programs linking schools and community agencies, physical education, health education, and social marketing. A third-year intervention used school and community personnel to direct intervention activities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome, daily MET-weighted minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MET-weighted MVPA), was assessed using accelerometry. Percent body fat was assessed using anthropometry. RESULTS: After the staff-directed intervention (pre-stated primary outcome), there were no differences (mean= -0.4, 95% CI= -8.2 to 7.4) in adjusted MET-weighted MVPA between 8th-grade girls in schools assigned to intervention or control. Following the Program Champion-directed intervention, girls in intervention schools were more physically active than girls in control schools (mean difference 10.9 MET-weighted minutes of MVPA, 95% CI=0.52-21.2). This difference is about 1.6 minutes of daily MVPA or 80 kcal per week. There were no differences in fitness or percent body fat at either 8th-grade timepoint. CONCLUSION: A school-based, community-linked intervention modestly improved physical activity in girls.