Change Club Project

The Change Club Project is a community-based civic engagement project taking place in select communities in New York and Texas. A Change Club is a small group of residents who will meet regularly to change their community’s built environment relative to food or physical activity opportunities. Change Club groups are a part of a university-led research project, which is closed to new participants, to better understand if and how these activities affect individual behaviors and health outcomes of adults in rural communities.

What is the Change Club?

The Change Club Project: Evaluation of a Civic Engagement Approach to Catalyze Built Environment Change and Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Rural Residents

About

The Change Club is a small group of residents who will meet regularly to change their community environment relative to food (such as in restaurants or schools) or physical activity opportunities (such as parks or walking trails) by following a civic engagement process facilitated by an extension educator.

Purpose

Change Club groups are a part of a university-led research project to better understand if and how these activities affect individual behaviors (for example, walking) and health outcomes (for example, blood pressure) of adults in rural communities.

Civic Engagement

This project is taking place in rural communities in New York and Texas. Over the course of the project, participants are providing annual health and behavioral information. Change Clubs will also receive up to $5,000 towards a community project. Click here to learn how the active Change Clubs are changing their community environment!

Let’s create healthy communities together!

Change Club Locations

Below are the locations of our active and future Change Clubs. To learn more about what our active Change Clubs are working on, click on an active community below!

Texas Change Clubs

Plainview, Texas (Hale County)*
Littlefield, Texas (Lamb County)
Marshall, Texas (Harrison County)
Center/Shelbyville, Texas (Shelby County)*
Groveton, Texas (Trinity County)*
Trinity, Texas (Trinity County)

New York Change Clubs

Carthage/Champion, New York (Jefferson County)
Watertown, New York (Jefferson County)*
Rome, New York (Oneida County)
Camden, New York (Oneida County)*
Canastota including Lincoln/Lenox, New York (Madison County)*
Hamilton, New York (Madison County)

* Notates an active Change Club group.

Annual Change Club Project Activities

Complete an online survey

Track your daily steps

*For Change Club Members only

Complete a food diary

*For Change Club Members only

Receive compensation

Create healthier communities

The project activities are only available to current participants. We are no longer accepting new participants in the study. You can change your mind about participation at any time and ask to be withdrawn from the contact list. Please note that you still may receive up to 4 automated email messages. Payment is issued in e-gift cards for each completed round of data collection with an additional payment for completing all rounds. Full data collection will involve completing all data collection activities at enrollment and again at three additional annual timepoints.

For more information, please check out our FAQs page.