How do I participate?
If you are interested in participating or have questions, please email ENERGYLabTTU@gmail.com. We can schedule an appointment time that is convenient for you.
What is this project studying?
The ENERGY Lab (PI: Dr. Jason Van Allen, Ph.D.) is looking for youth and caregiver dyads to help us learn about youth and family health attitudes. We are offering a $10 gift card for your participation.
What would participants have to do?
If parents allow their youth to participate in this study we would ask the youth to:
- Complete questions about their attitudes, behaviors, and feelings related to their health and themselves. The questions should take around 30 minutes to complete and they will be completed via computer in our laboratory at Texas Tech University, or in the participant’s home at a prearranged time mutually agreed upon by the caregiver and researchers.
- Youths’ height and weight will be measured in a private location.
- Each child will be asked to wear a portable electronic device, known as an accelerometer, over a three-day period. This device is similar to a pedometer (a small, watch-like device worn on the wrist) and will be used to measure the amount of physical activity and sleep each youth engages in while at school and at home. The accelerometer is lightweight and can be worn over clothes. After the three days, the device must be returned to the ENERGY Lab by being picked up by the researchers, or delivered by the participant in order to receive compensation.
We would ask the parents to:
- Complete questions about attitudes, behaviors, and feelings related to them, and their opinion of their youth’s attitudes toward physical and psychological health. Parents will be administered questionnaires via computer during their appointment with their youth, which should take 30 minutes to complete. Additionally, after completing their measures, parents will be asked to take home and complete a 3-day diet recall on behalf of their youth, which will be returned or picked up on the same day their youth returns the accelerometer to the researchers.
What is the benefit of participating and how long will it take?
Besides providing the project with valuable information, each family will automatically receive a $10 gift card upon successful return of the accelerometer device to the ENERGY Lab, which they may choose to deliver to us themselves, or to have it picked up by the researchers. We are asking as much as 30 - 40 minutes of your time to complete the measures, and for the youth to wear the accelerometer device for a period of 3 days.
What are the risks involved in this study?
There are no risks beyond everyday life related to this study. Participants can skip questions or stop participating altogether if they become uncomfortable at any time.
Can participants quit if they become uncomfortable?
Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. Each parent and/or youth can choose to stop participating at any time. If a parent chooses not to participate, their youth will still be allowed to participate if they give permission for them to do so. Not participating in or leaving the study early will not affect any participant’s relationship with Texas Tech University, and they will still keep all the benefits of participating.
How are you protecting participant privacy?
Randomly generated and assigned ID numbers will be used in place of personal identifying information on all questionnaires, and stored in a locked office, and on secure databases at Texas Tech University. Only trained researchers associated with this project will have access to the data.
If there are questions regarding this study, who can I ask?
This research study is being conducted by Dr. Jason Van Allen from the Department of Psychological Sciences at Texas Tech University. If you have questions, you may contact Dr. Van Allen via email at jason.vanallen@ttu.edu or you can call him at 806-834-7703. Questions can also be directed to the Human
Research Protection Program (HRPP), Office of the Vice President for Research, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, 806-742-2064.
