Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this 6-week intervention was to test the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a telehealth-adapted Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) at a senior center.MethodsOlder adults (n = 16) attended weekly interactive webinars. At each measurement time point, participants completed questionnaires covering lifestyle, physical activity, quality of life, and food records and wore physical activity trackers. Qualitative data were gathered from 2 focus groups inviting all 16 participants with 13 and 10 participants attending, respectively.ResultsOver 2000 senior center members were contacted, approximately 2% (n = 39) responded to the recruitment email, and 16 were recruited into the study. Retention was 75%, and attendance rates averaged 80% across the six intervention sessions. The focus group participants provided positive opinions for most program components, especially the webinar group interaction and using physical activity trackers. Suggestions for improvement included a greater focus on specific needs of older adults (i.e., adapting activities) and placing a greater emphasis on dietary strategies to prevent diabetes. Mean weight loss was 2.9% (2.7 kg [95% CI 1.6, 3.7]; p value = 0.001).ConclusionThe feasibility of providing DPP via webinar appears to be high based on the retention and attendance rates. Similar to other behavioral interventions engaging older adults, recruitment rates were low. Acceptability was evidenced by high attendance at the intervention sessions and feedback from participants during focus group sessions. The intervention efficacy should be evaluated based on CDC criteria for program recognition in a larger scale randomized trial.Trial registrationNCT03524404. Registered 14 May 2018—retrospectively registered. Trial protocol will be provided by the corresponding author upon request.
Highlights
The purpose of this 6-week intervention was to test the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a telehealth-adapted Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) at a senior center
The primary aim of this study was to test the feasibility of implementing a telehealth adaptation of the DPP within a New York City (NYC) senior center
2% (n = 39) of the over 2000 senior center members responded to the recruitment email
Summary
The purpose of this 6-week intervention was to test the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a telehealth-adapted Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) at a senior center. The number of Americans 65 years or older (49.1 million as of 2016) is projected to more than double by 2060 [1]. 15–30% of the 87.3 million people in the USA with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years [3]. Among the 20% of participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) who were 60 years and older (n = 648), the diet and physical activity intervention conferred a 71% reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes [13]. Few individuals in this age group at risk for type 2 diabetes or CVD adopt healthy diets and lifestyles [14, 15]
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