The DOI matches its Crossref record; 5 of the 5 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Effect of Volunteering on Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Abstract
IMPORTANCE: The idea that individuals who help others incur health benefits themselves suggests a novel approach to improving health while simultaneously promoting greater civic orientation in our society. The present study is the first experimental trial, to our knowledge, of whether regular volunteering can reduce cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents. OBJECTIVE: To test a novel intervention that assigned adolescents to volunteer with elementary school-aged children as a means of improving adolescents' cardiovascular risk profiles. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial, with measurements taken at baseline and 4 months later (postintervention). SETTING: Urban public high school in western Canada. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred six 10th-grade high school students who were fluent in English and free of chronic illnesses. INTERVENTION: Weekly volunteering with elementary school-aged children for 2 months vs wait-list control group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cardiovascular risk markers of C-reactive protein level, interleukin 6 level, total cholesterol level, and body mass index. RESULTS: No statistically significant group differences were found at baseline. Postintervention, adolescents in the intervention group showed significantly lower interleukin 6 levels (log10 mean difference, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.004 to 0.251), cholesterol levels (log10 mean difference, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.003 to 0.059), and body mass index (mean difference, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.71) compared with adolescents in the control group. Effects for C-reactive protein level were marginal (log10 mean difference, 0.13; 95% CI, -0.011 to 0.275). Preliminary analyses within the intervention group suggest that those who increased the most in empathy and altruistic behaviors, and who decreased the most in negative mood, also showed the greatest decreases in cardiovascular risk over time. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Adolescents who volunteer to help others also benefit themselves, suggesting a novel way to improve health. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01698034.
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“The positive impact of volunteer work on adolescents' health and school achievement may arise from the chance it gives teenagers to craft an identity based on constructive social values (Schreier et al. 2013; see also Allen & Philliber 2001, Wilson 2011).”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Schreier et al. 2013
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Cites
Ridker, P. M., Hennekens, C. H., Buring, J. E., & Rifai, N. (2000) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm200003233421202 · Cited by 5,850
Guh, D. P., Zhang, W., Bansback, N., Amarsi, Z., Birmingham, C. L., & Anis, A. H. (2009) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-9-88 · Cited by 3,855
Effectiveness of mentoring programs for youth: A meta-analytic review
DuBois, D. L., Holloway, B. E., Valentine, J. C., & Cooper, H. (2002) · American Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1023/a:1014628810714 · Cited by 1,544
Emotions, morbidity, and mortality: new perspectives from psychoneuroimmunology.
Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., McGuire, L., Robles, T. F., & Glaser, R. (2002) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135217 · Cited by 1,176
Brown, S. L., Nesse, R. M., Vinokur, A. D., & Smith, D. M. (2003) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-9280.14461 · Cited by 1,142
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Items 101–118 of 118
Humanitarian Athletic Participation and Identity Work
Terrell, A., Houltberg, B. J., Brown, S., Falco, R., & Schnitker, S. A. (2021) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2021.669547 · Cited by 3
“There is also evidence that altruism and volunteerism affect health; one study found that the adolescents who volunteered at a peer mentoring program had significantly lowered interleukin (IL)-6 levels (cells that are released due to infection, disease, or tissue injuries), lower cholesterol levels, and lower body mas…”
BackgroundPatterns in Civic Engagement and Health Among Diverse Adolescent Students
Ballard, P. J., Suzuki, S., Manalo-Pedro, E., & Cohen, A. K. (2026) · Health Promotion Practice · doi:10.1177/15248399261443235 · Cited by 1
“This aligns with evidence that volunteering is positively associated with health (Lanza et al., 2023; Schreier et al., 2013) and departs somewhat from prior evidence with older samples that found positive associations for traditional political behaviors and negative associations between expressive…”
Built to Care: Health Benefits of Support‐Giving
Dembling, S. J., Damon, Z. F., & Inagaki, T. K. (2026) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/spc3.70137
Volunteering and Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes in Black Adolescents From Low-Income Families
Chen, E., Germer, S. O., Moon, H., Dezil, J., Hayen, R., & Yu, T. (2026) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.53419 · Cited by 2
Self-citationMental Health Interventions in Everyday Life
Kazdin, A. (2025) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197773659.001.0001 · Cited by 1
Proulx, J. D. E., Castaneto, K. K., Cash, T. A., & Aknin, L. B. (2025) · Discover Psychology · doi:10.1007/s44202-025-00327-6 · Cited by 1
Civic Participation in Early Adulthood and Midlife Well-being in an Inner City Cohort
Ou, S., Yoo, S., & Reynolds, A. J. (2024) · Journal of Adult Development · doi:10.1007/s10804-024-09499-2 · Cited by 1
“Moreover, participation in organized activity and volunteering have been used as intervention strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk and promote health equity for adolescents (Schreier et al., 2013) and African-American women (Brown et al., 2017; White et al., 2020).”
Volunteering and Risk of Heart Attack in Later Life: The Moderating Role of Purpose in Life?
Bell, M. J., & Ferraro, K. F. (2024) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/01640275241274316 · Cited by 3
“Stated differently, empirical evidence reports that vol-unteering is advantageous for multiple physiological systems, including the cardiovascular system (Bell et al., 2022; Brown & Brown, 2015; Burr et al., 2016; Kim et al., 2023; Schreier et al., 2013).”
Feeling Good, Living Well: The Importance of Happiness for Health
Cramer, H. (2023) · Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1089/jicm.2023.0176 · Cited by 1
McCann, S. J. H. (2020) · Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224545.2020.1738991 · Cited by 1
“In the Schreier et al. (2013) article, 42 10th grade students who had been engaged weekly for two months in a volunteer program to help elementary school children were compared to other potential volunteers randomly assigned to a waiting list.”
BackgroundProsocial Behaviors in Children
Miller, J. G., & Hastings, P. D. (2020) · The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development · doi:10.1002/9781119171492.wecad277
Commercial Life: The Private Sector’s Contribution to Wellbeing
Mulay-Shah, A., Lambert, L., Younis, Y., & Wood, B. P. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-13921-6_3 · Cited by 1
The Benefits of Prosocial Behavior for Mental and Physical Health: A Neuroscience Approach
Eisenberger, N. I., Noble, R., & Naclerio, M. (2026) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/09637214261459027 · Cited by 1
Espinoza, C. N., Goering, M., Dahlman, A. E., Patki, A., Tiwari, H. K., Richter, C. G., & Mrug, S. (2025) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.70026
“For example, moral identity is associated with fewer negative health behaviors in college students (Hardy et al., 2013) and volunteering has been linked to lower cholesterol, inflammation, and body mass index in adolescents (Schreier et al., 2013).”
Madhusudan, A., & Sahai, S. (2021) · doi:10.1177/2631454120982427
“Elsewhere in a High School in Western Canada, researchers found that 106 10th grade students who volunteered showed a decrease in risks of cardiovascular illness than the control group of the same age group (Schreier et al., 2013).”
Volunteerism and its rationale
Antonello, I. (2016) · Scientia Medica · doi:10.15448/1980-6108.2016.4.25777
“Estaríamos concluindo que o voluntariado pode ser mais significativo para o bem-estar em alguns momentos do curso da vida? Estudo controlado randomizado conduzido em escola pública urbana do Canadá sugere que adolescentes que evidenciam comportamentos mais empáticos e altruístas diminuem marcadores inflamatórios, níve…”
BackgroundThe Impact of Productive Engagement on BMI Classification in Middle Age and Later Life
Curl, A. (2021) · Journal of Mental Health and Social Behaviour · doi:10.33790/jmhsb1100131
“[39] found that teenagers who volunteered had a lower body mass index post-intervention than those in the control group.”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Schreier, H. M. C., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Chen, E.
- Affiliations
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Northwestern University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Chen, Edith
- Venue
- JAMA Pediatrics
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 2013-04-01
- Volume
- 167
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 327
- ISSN
- 1072-4710 (ISSN-L)
- 2168-6203
- OpenAlex
- W2018171193
- Cited by
- 169
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 25.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
- Social Sciences › Education › Service-Learning and Community Engagement
- Keywords
- volunteering, cardiovascular risk factors, adolescents, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, cholesterol, body mass index, empathy, altruism, negative mood, citizen participation, health promotion
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Altruism, C-Reactive Protein, Cardiovascular Diseases, Empathy, Female, Health Promotion, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Risk Factors, Self Concept, Volunteers, Interleukin-6
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