Violence PreventionNCT01336374
Vacant Lot Greening and Violence-Related Outcomes
An observational study of Violence Prevention and Built Environment, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of vacant lot greening on perceptions of safety and violence for residents living around the lots. We hypothesize that people living around lots that are greened will have improved perception of safety. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Violence Prevention, Built Environment
- How many people
- 29 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Apr 2011to Sep 2011
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Residents living around two seperate sites (one site where vacant lots are greened and a control site where vacant lots are not greened).
Who may be able to join
- Age 18-65
- Lives in home
- Ability to walk unassisted and without difficulty for 10 blocks
Who cannot join
- One resident per house
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
About this study
Official title: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Vacant Lot Greening and Violence-related Outcomes
The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of vacant lot greening on perceptions of safety and violence for residents living around the lots. We hypothesize that people living around lots that are greened will have improved perception of safety.
Read the detailed description
Violence is a serious health problem in the US, and especially in Philadelphia, as the city ranks first in violent crime amongst the ten largest US cities. The determinants of violent crime range from individual to community level factors. In this study, we focus on physical incivilities in the built environment, specifically vacant lots, as they have been associated with violent crime. Physical incivilities are also associated with individual perceptions of crime and safety, and subsequently, negative health outcomes. However, prior research has been observational and retrospective. We aim to expand this body of work through a randomized community intervention trial of vacant lot greening to explore causal mechanisms between vacant lots and violent crime outcomes. This pilot study, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, will investigate the feasibility of a vacant lot greening intervention, and explore how vacant lot greening changes resident perception about violence, fear, stress, and neighborhood disorder, as well as violent crime in the surrounding area. We will interview residents living around the greened and non-greened lots during a joint walk around a pre-determined route, which will ensure exposure to our intervention. We will also use violent crime data (homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, and rape) from the Philadelphia Police Department. Results of this pilot trial will be used to develop a full scale vacant lot greening grant to be submitted to the National Institutes of Health or the National Institute of Justice.
- Conditions
- Violence Prevention, Built Environment
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Greened Vacant Lot | A cluster of vacant lots is greened. People living around this area make up this cohort. | |
| Control Site | The control site is a cluster of vacant lots that will not be greened. The people living around these lots make up the control group. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perceptions of safety and violence
We will be performing qualitative interviews to assess perceptions of safety and violence. We will compare these perceptions over time between two groups.
Measured: measured twice - once during first month of study and once during 4th or 5th month.
Secondary outcomes (3)
Heart Rate
Participants wear a heart rate monitor during a walk around their neighborhood.
Measured: measured twice - once during first month of study and once during 4th or 5th month of study
Violent crime statistics
We will obtain crime statistics, including homicide, robbery, rape, and assault in the area around each cluster of vacant lots.
Measured: Measured 6 months before intervention and 6 months after intervention
Safe/Unsafe items in the environment
During a walk around the neighborhood, participants will point out items in the environment which they feel are safe or unsafe.
Measured: measured twice - once during the first month of the study and once during the 4th or 5th month.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Apr 2011 (estimated)
- Study startApr 2011
- Primary completionAug 2011
- Study completionSep 2011
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Violence PreventionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of PennsylvaniaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Ecologic or community
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 29 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Pennsylvania
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Eugenia C Garvin, MD, Principal investigator, University of Pennsylvania
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01336374
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 813112
- Status last verified
- Dec 2011
- First submitted
- 13 Apr 2011
- Last updated
- 5 Dec 2011
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Dec 2011. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Vacant Lot Greening and Violence-related Outcomes
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01336374
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 813112
- Conditions
- Violence Prevention, Built Environment
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 29 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of PennsylvaniaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Apr 2011
- Primary completion
- Aug 2011 (actual)
- Study completion
- Sep 2011 (actual)
- First posted
- 15 Apr 2011 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of vacant lot greening on perceptions of safety and violence for residents living around the lots. We hypothesize that people living around lots that are greened will have improved perception of safety.
Detailed description
Violence is a serious health problem in the US, and especially in Philadelphia, as the city ranks first in violent crime amongst the ten largest US cities. The determinants of violent crime range from individual to community level factors. In this study, we focus on physical incivilities in the built environment, specifically vacant lots, as they have been associated with violent crime. Physical incivilities are also associated with individual perceptions of crime and safety, and subsequently, negative health outcomes. However, prior research has been observational and retrospective. We aim to expand this body of work through a randomized community intervention trial of vacant lot greening to explore causal mechanisms between vacant lots and violent crime outcomes. This pilot study, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, will investigate the feasibility of a vacant lot greening intervention, and explore how vacant lot greening changes resident perception about violence, fear, stress, and neighborhood disorder, as well as violent crime in the surrounding area. We will interview residents living around the greened and non-greened lots during a joint walk around a pre-determined route, which will ensure exposure to our intervention. We will also use violent crime data (homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, and rape) from the Philadelphia Police Department. Results of this pilot trial will be used to develop a full scale vacant lot greening grant to be submitted to the National Institutes of Health or the National Institute of Justice.
Study design
- Observational model
- Ecologic or community
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Greened Vacant Lot | – | –A cluster of vacant lots is greened. People living around this area make up this cohort. |
| Control Site | – | –The control site is a cluster of vacant lots that will not be greened. The people living around these lots make up the control group. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Residents living around two seperate sites (one site where vacant lots are greened and a control site where vacant lots are not greened).
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Age 18-65
- Lives in home
- Ability to walk unassisted and without difficulty for 10 blocks
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- One resident per house
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Perceptions of safety and violence
Time frame: measured twice - once during first month of study and once during 4th or 5th month.
We will be performing qualitative interviews to assess perceptions of safety and violence. We will compare these perceptions over time between two groups.
3 secondary outcomes
Heart Rate
Time frame: measured twice - once during first month of study and once during 4th or 5th month of study
Violent crime statistics
Time frame: Measured 6 months before intervention and 6 months after intervention
Safe/Unsafe items in the environment
Time frame: measured twice - once during the first month of the study and once during the 4th or 5th month.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Dec 2011.
Related trials for Violence Prevention
Active, not recruiting
Supportive Hospital-Based Intervention for Firearm Trauma
Gun Violence Prevention, Adolescent Behavior
Active, not recruiting
What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in Madagascar
Comprehensive Sexual Education
Active, not recruiting
YES: Innovative Discussion for Engagement, Achievement, and Service
Violence Prevention
RecruitingPhase 2
Study of Cross-Cutting E-Health Prevention Approaches
Alcohol Misuse Prevention, Sexual Violence Prevention
Recruiting
School-based Prevention of Teacher Violence Against Children in Zambia
Violence by Teachers
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Eugenia C Garvin, MD principal investigator
University of Pennsylvania
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Violence Prevention and Built Environment, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Dec 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Perceptions of safety and violence (time frame: measured twice - once during first month of study and once during 4th or 5th month.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Dec 2011.