Resilient, Empowered, Active Living with Diabetes (REAL Diabetes) study: Methodology and baseline characteristics of a randomized controlled trial evaluating an occupation-based diabetes management intervention for young adults

Effectiveness of self-management interventions for long-term conditions in people experiencing socio-economic deprivation in high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Long-term conditions (LTCs) are prevalent in socio-economically deprived populations. Self-management interventions can improve health outcomes, but socio-economically deprived groups have lower participation in them, with potentially lower effectiveness. This review explored whether self-management interventions delivered to people experiencing socio-economic deprivation improve outcomes.

METHODS

We searched databases up to November 2022 for randomized trials. We screened, extracted data and assessed the quality of these studies using Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB2). We narratively synthesized all studies and performed a meta-analysis on eligible articles. We assessed the certainty of evidence using GRADE for articles included in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

The 51 studies included in this review had mixed findings. For the diabetes meta-analysis, there was a statistically significant pooled reduction in haemoglobin A1c (-0.29%). We had moderate certainty in the evidence. Thirty-eight of the study interventions had specific tailoring for socio-economically deprived populations, including adaptions for low literacy and financial incentives. Each intervention had an average of four self-management components.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-management interventions for socio-economically deprived populations show promise, though more evidence is needed. Our review suggests that the number of self-management components may not be important. With the increasing emphasis on self-management, to avoid exacerbating health inequalities, interventions should include tailoring for socio-economically deprived individuals.

Establishing a research informatics program in a public healthcare system: a case report with model documents

While much is known about governance models for research informatics programs in academic medical centers and similarly situated cancer centers, community and public health systems have been less well-characterized. As part of implementing an enterprise research governance framework, leaders in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services established a research informatics program, including research data warehousing. The strategy is focused on high-priority, patient-centered research that leverages the investment in health IT and an efficient, sustained contribution from 2 affiliated Clinical Translational Sciences Institutes. This case study describes the foundational governance framework and policies that were developed. We share the results of several years of planning, implementation, and operations of an academically funded research informatics service core embedded in a large, multicenter county health system. We include herein a Supplementary Appendix of governance documents that may serve as pragmatic models for similar initiatives.

A Humanized Mouse Strain That Develops Spontaneously Immune-Mediated Diabetes

To circumvent the limitations of available preclinical models for the study of type 1 diabetes (T1D), we developed a new humanized model, the YES-RIP-hB7.1 mouse. This mouse is deficient of murine major histocompatibility complex class I and class II, the murine insulin genes, and expresses as transgenes the HLA-A*02:01 allele, the diabetes high-susceptibility HLA-DQ8A and B alleles, the human insulin gene, and the human co-stimulatory molecule B7.1 in insulin-secreting cells. It develops spontaneous T1D along with CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses to human preproinsulin epitopes. Most of the responses identified in these mice were validated in T1D patients. This model is amenable to characterization of hPPI-specific epitopes involved in T1D and to the identification of factors that may trigger autoimmune response to insulin-secreting cells in human T1D. It will allow evaluating peptide-based immunotherapy that may directly apply to T1D in human and complete preclinical model availability to address the issue of clinical heterogeneity of human disease.

Development and preliminary feasibility evaluation of occupation-centered diabetes self-management intervention

Introduction

Occupational therapy practice framework provides a valuable structure for guiding clinical practice in occupational therapy based on the profession’s philosophical assumptions and areas of concern. This study aims to address the development and preliminary feasibility and acceptability evaluation of diabetes self-management intervention based on the framework and available literature.

Method

The research consisted of two phases. During the first phase, the research team conducted the relevant literature review, analyzed it deductively, and classified it in accordance with the concepts of the occupational therapy practice framework. Then, they modeled the intervention and formulated its components. In the second phase, they undertook the developed intervention on seven people with type-2 diabetes. The participants' attendance and their satisfaction with the program were evaluated to investigate its feasibility and acceptability.

Results

The research team developed an intervention named Occupational Therapy Diabetes Self-Management which focuses on the occupational nature of self-management and addresses various factors of its integrations with individuals’ daily lives. Feasibility and acceptability evaluation of the Occupational Therapy Diabetes Self-Management indicated that the participants' attendance and satisfaction with the program were 92.86% and 9.43 out of 10, respectively.

Conclusion

The Occupational Therapy Diabetes Self-Management is evidence-based, feasible, and an acceptable intervention to guide future research and clinical practice on occupational therapy.

A Digital Health Intervention (SweetGoals) for Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: Protocol for a Factorial Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND

Many young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) struggle with the complex daily demands of adherence to their medical regimen and fail to achieve target range glycemic control. Few interventions, however, have been developed specifically for this age group.

OBJECTIVE

In this randomized trial, we will provide a mobile app (SweetGoals) to all participants as a "core" intervention. The app prompts participants to upload data from their diabetes devices weekly to a device-agnostic uploader (Glooko), automatically retrieves uploaded data, assesses daily and weekly self-management goals, and generates feedback messages about goal attainment. Further, the trial will test two unique intervention components: (1) incentives to promote consistent daily adherence to goals, and (2) web health coaching to teach effective problem solving focused on personalized barriers to self-management. We will use a novel digital direct-to-patient recruitment method and intervention delivery model that transcends the clinic.

METHODS

A 2x2 factorial randomized trial will be conducted with 300 young adults ages 19-25 with type 1 diabetes and (Hb)A_1c ≥ 8.0%. All participants will receive the SweetGoals app that tracks and provides feedback about two adherence targets: (a) daily glucose monitoring; and (b) mealtime behaviors. Participants will be randomized to the factorial combination of incentives and health coaching. The intervention will last 6 months. The primary outcome will be reduction in A_1c. Secondary outcomes include self-regulation mechanisms in longitudinal mediation models and engagement metrics as a predictor of outcomes. Participants will complete 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments. We hypothesize greater sustained A_1c improvements in participants who receive coaching and who receive incentives compared to those who do not receive those components.

RESULTS

Data collection is expected to be complete by February 2025. Analyses of primary and secondary outcomes are expected by December 2025.

CONCLUSIONS

Successful completion of these aims will support dissemination and effectiveness studies of this intervention that seeks to improve glycemic control in this high-risk and understudied population of young adults with T1D.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04646473; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04646473.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/27109.

Effectiveness of social media (Facebook), targeted mailing, and in-person solicitation for the recruitment of young adult in a diabetes self-management clinical trial

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Research is needed to identify promising recruitment strategies to reach and engage diverse young adults in diabetes clinical research. The aim of this study was to examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of three recruitment strategies used in a diabetes self-management clinical trial: social media advertising (Facebook), targeted mailing, and in-person solicitation of clinic patients.

METHODS

Strategies were compared in terms of (1) cost-effectiveness (i.e. cost of recruitment/number of enrolled participants), (2) ability to yield participants who would not otherwise be reached by alternative strategies, and (3) likelihood of participants recruited through each strategy to adhere to study procedures. We further explored the appeal (overall and among age and gender subgroups) of social media advertisement features.

RESULTS

In-person recruitment of clinic patients was overall the most cost-effective strategy. However, differences in demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics of participants recruited via different strategies suggest that the combination of these approaches yielded a more diverse sample than would any one strategy alone. Once successfully enrolled, there was no difference in study completion and intervention adherence between individuals recruited by the three recruitment strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultimately, the utility of a recruitment strategy is defined by its ability to effectively attract people representative of the target population who are willing to enroll in and complete the study. Leveraging a variety of recruitment strategies appears to produce a more representative sample of young adults, including those who are less engaged in diabetes care.

Comparing Real-Time Self-Tracking and Device-Recorded Exercise Data in Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes

BACKGROUND

Insulin therapy, medical nutrition therapy, and physical activity are required for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). There is a lack of studies in real-life environments that characterize patient-reported data from logs, activity trackers, and medical devices (e.g., glucose sensors) in the context of exercise.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to compare data from continuous glucose monitor (CGM), wristband heart rate monitor (WHRM), and self-tracking with a smartphone application (app), iDECIDE, with regards to exercise behaviors and rate of change in glucose levels.

METHODS

Participants with T1D on insulin pump therapy tracked exercise for 1 month with the smartphone app while WHRM and CGM recorded data in real time. Exercise behaviors tracked with the app were compared against WHRM. The rate of change in glucose levels, as recorded by CGM, resulting from exercise was compared between exercise events documented with the app and recorded by the WHRM.

RESULTS

Twelve participants generated 277 exercise events. Tracking with the app aligned well with WHRM with respect to frequency, 3.0 (2.1) and 2.5 (1.8) days per week, respectively (p = 0.60). Duration had very high agreement, the mean duration from the app was 65.6 (55.2) and 64.8 (54.9) minutes from WHRM (p = 0.45). Intensity had a low concordance between the data sources (Cohen's kappa = 0.2). The mean rate of change of glucose during exercise was -0.27 mg/(dL*min) and was not significantly different between data sources or intensity (p = 0.21).

CONCLUSION

We collated and analyzed data from three heterogeneous sources from free-living participants. Patients' perceived intensity of exercise can serve as a surrogate for exercise tracked by a WHRM when considering the glycemic impact of exercise on self-care regimens.

Psychosocial and Behavioral Correlates of A1C and Quality of Life Among Young Adults With Diabetes

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between behavioral and psychosocial constructs, A1C, and diabetes-dependent quality of life (DQoL) among low-socioeconomic status, ethnically diverse young adults with diabetes.

METHODS

Using baseline data of 81 participants in the Resilient, Empowered, Active Living (REAL) randomized controlled trial, behavioral, cognitive, affective, and experiential variables were correlated with A1C and DQoL while adjusting for demographic characteristics, and these relationships were examined for potential effect modification.

RESULTS

The data indicate that depressive symptoms and satisfaction with daily activities are associated with both A1C and DQoL, while diabetes knowledge and participation in daily activities are associated with neither A1C nor DQoL. Two constructs, diabetes distress and life satisfaction, were associated with DQoL and were unrelated to A1C, while 2 constructs, self-monitoring of blood glucose and medication adherence, were associated with A1C but unrelated to DQoL. These relationships were largely unchanged by adjusting for demographic characteristics, while numerous effect modifications were found.

CONCLUSION

The data suggest that when tailoring interventions, depressive symptoms and satisfaction with daily activities may be particularly fruitful intervention targets, as they represent modifiable risk factors that are associated with both A1C and DQoL.

Occupational Therapy Intervention Improves Glycemic Control and Quality of Life Among Young Adults With Diabetes: the Resilient, Empowered, Active Living with Diabetes (REAL Diabetes) Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of a manualized occupational therapy (OT) intervention (Resilient, Empowered, Active Living with Diabetes [REAL Diabetes]) to improve glycemic control and psychosocial well-being among ethnically diverse young adults with low socioeconomic status (SES) who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Eighty-one young adults (age 22.6 ± 3.5 years; hemoglobin A_1c [HbA_1c] = 10.8%/95 mmol/mol ± 1.9%/20.8 mmol/mol) were randomly assigned to the REAL Diabetes intervention group (IG) or an attention control group (CG) over 6 months. IG participants received biweekly sessions guided by a manual composed of seven content modules; CG participants received standardized educational materials and biweekly phone calls. Blinded assessors collected data at baseline and 6 months. The primary outcome was HbA_1c; secondary outcomes included diabetes self-care, diabetes-related quality of life (QOL), diabetes distress, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. Change scores were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum tests.

RESULTS

Intent-to-treat analyses showed that IG participants showed significant improvement in HbA_1c (-0.57%/6.2 mmol/mol vs. +0.36%/3.9 mmol/mol, P = 0.01), diabetes-related QOL (+0.7 vs. +0.15, P = 0.04), and habit strength for checking blood glucose (+3.9 vs. +1.7, P = 0.05) as compared with CG participants. There was no statistically significant effect modification by sex, ethnicity, diabetes type, recruitment site, or SES. No study-related serious adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The REAL Diabetes intervention improved blood glucose control and diabetes-related QOL among a typically hard-to-reach population, thus providing evidence that a structured OT intervention may be beneficial in improving both clinical and psychosocial outcomes among individuals with diabetes.

Feasibility of a Manualized Occupation-Based Diabetes Management Intervention

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the feasibility and acceptability of an occupational therapy intervention targeting diabetes management for underserved young adults.

METHOD

Eight participants completed the intervention and a battery of assessments at baseline and after the intervention. At completion, the participants and occupational therapist were interviewed about their experiences with the study. Four categories of assessment questions were used to guide the study: process, resource, management, and scientific.

RESULTS

Successes included recruitment; fulfillment of tasks by staff and partnering clinics; adequate space, financial support, and equipment; and meaningfulness of the intervention for participants. Challenges included scheduling participants for the intervention and follow-up focus groups and providing client centeredness and flexibility while reducing burden on the intervener.

CONCLUSION

This feasibility study allowed us to make necessary revisions to our study protocol before implementing a larger pilot study.