Durant

Researchers are evaluating the Wakaya: Rising Up for Choctaw Youth Health program, a nature-based, outdoor intervention grounded in Choctaw values. The program aims to improve physical activity, reduce sedentary behaviors, promote healthful eating habits, and delay or reduce alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among Choctaw youth aged 12 to 19 years. This study uses a two-group randomized waitlist-control design and will recruit 176 participants over five years in staggered cohorts, with some receiving immediate intervention and others after a three-month wait. The Wakaya program includes up to 20 group sessions over the first three months focusing on Choctaw history, culture, and health beliefs with experiential outdoor activities like ropes courses, walking, and gardening. Participants receive Fitbits and have peer support via social media. Individual Motivational Interviewing sessions help set personal and leadership goals. Between months two and three, participants attend an overnight culture camp and take part in the Choctaw Trail of Tears walk. From months four to twelve, group meetings focus on planning community leadership events, digital storytelling, and traditional games, with a leadership ceremony and sharing of digital stories at month nine. Participants complete baseline and follow-up assessments including physical health measures (BMI, puberty age), a 12-minute walk/run, seven days of accelerometer use, and computer-assisted behavioral surveys at baseline, immediately post-intervention, three months post, and six months post. Researchers will measure changes in physical activity, sedentary behavior, and food and beverage habits over time. Safety is monitored by excluding youth with certain severe allergies, disabilities preventing exercise, aggressive behaviors, or recent opioid/methamphetamine use. The total study duration for each participant includes intervention and follow-up over nine months.