Background: The ASPIRE study is a NIH funded clinical trial seeking to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors in young adults who identify as Black and Hispanic through the provision of an individualized, text message-based intervention. The intervention has been developed specifically for this demographic group through formative research and seeks to understand the moderating and mediating effects of depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, and discrimination on weight loss maintenance over the 12 months. The goal of this preliminary analysis is to describe baseline depressive symptoms in this population to both conceptualize the mental health needs of students and increase the accessibility of established resources through developing community informed referral guidelines. Methods: Participants are recruited into a behavior change clinical trial and randomly assigned to either an intervention group with a health coach or an attention control group. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire for adults (PHQ-9) as a part of baseline surveys. This questionnaire assesses depressive symptoms through 10 self-administered questions. Scores ranging from 5-9 indicate mild symptoms 10-14 moderate symptoms, 15-19 moderately severe, and 20-27 severe symptoms of depression. Participant data is stored in REDCap and preliminary analysis was pulled and summarized for total scores from the PHQ-9 for all participants who have completed a baseline visit. There is no missing data. Results: Preliminary baseline data from a large Midwestern community college (N=101; 72% female; mean age = 20.8 (SD=2.02)) indicate the significant experience of depressive symptoms amongst participants. More than 58% of our sample screened for at least mild symptoms of depression. More significantly, greater than 21% of the sample indicates at least moderate symptoms of depression. Discussion and Conclusion: There is no comprehensive nationwide data to which we can compare these results, however the American College Health (ACH) National College Health Assessment completed in undergraduate students indicated that 50% of students surveyed had no significant symptoms of depression on the Kessler 6 scale. Therefore, we believe levels of depressive symptoms may be higher in this population of community college students who identify as Black or Hispanic. Due to high levels of depressive symptoms, the research team has since engaged in participatory research methods with the community advisory board and other members of the community to enhance study protocols and identify community-based resources to serve as referrals for participants who score above 5 on the PHQ-9.

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