516-P: A One-Year Curriculum for Diabetes Self-Management Education to Promote Lasting Lifestyle Changes

Abstract

The use of telehealth for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) is expanding. There is a need among people with diabetes (PWD) to manage their diabetes, as they represent 20% of ICU admissions, 30% of hospitalized cases and have an increased risk of COVID-related mortality. While people at risk for diabetes or prediabetes may join a 1-year CDC accredited diabetes prevention program to make lifestyle changes to reduce their diabetes risk, PWD are often offered short-term DSMES programs that do not necessarily incorporate long-term goals. We developed a year-long intensive Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (iDSMES) program combining Virtual Diabetes Conversation Map® and selected modified modules from the PreventT2® curriculum to suit PWD. The curriculum included 18 maps/modules. Our team of certified lifestyle coaches/diabetes educators/Conversation Map® Trainers used shared decision-making and problem-solving approaches to improve glycemic control and diabetes self-management. We hypothesized that iDSMES would improve diabetes outcomes in PWD. Fourteen PWD (12F/2M) with a BMI of 25 or above underwent the iDSMES in a group with their lifestyle coaches using the Zoom® platform. We collected their fasting blood glucose, weight, blood pressure, and physical activity minutes at each session (every three weeks) and assessed their Hemoglobin A1c quarterly. Nine PWD completed the iDSMES and lost an average of 8.8% of their initial body weight (a total of 203lbs) . We observed a 1% decrease in their A1c, 10mg/dL decrease in fasting blood glucose, and mm Hg decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. There was also a 110-minute increase in their physical activity. A year-long iDSMES distance learning program effectively enhances lasting lifestyle changes to improve diabetes self-management in PWD. A 5-year follow-up is warranted to assess factors affecting the maintenance of accomplished lifestyle changes. Disclosure H.Sallam: None. W.Pan: None. M.L.Ferguson: None. W.Lee: None. K.H.Mckinney: None. H.Serag: None. Funding Texas Department of State Health Services (#HHS000740800001)