Abstract
BackgroundType 2 diabetes (diabetes) is a serious threat to public health in the United States and disproportionally affects many racial/ethnic minority groups, including African Americans. Limited access to treatment and high attrition rates further contribute to health disparities in diabetes-related morbidity and mortality among minorities. Greater opportunities for increasing access and decreasing barriers to treatment are needed. Technology-based interventions have potential for accomplishing this goal but evidence of feasibility and potential effectiveness is lacking, especially for populations that traditionally have limited educational attainment and low computer literacy.ObjectiveThis paper describes the design and methods of a pilot randomized clinical trial that will compare the feasibility and potential efficacy of delivering a diabetes self-management intervention via a virtual world vs. a face-to-face format.MethodsStudy participants (n=100) will be African American women with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes recruited from primary care practices and affiliated health centers at a large safety net hospital in Massachusetts. Participants will be randomized into a virtual world-based (VW) intervention condition or a face-to-face control condition. Both conditions provide the same theory-based curriculum and equivalent exposure to the self-management program (eight group sessions), and both will be delivered by a single intervention team (a dietitian and a diabetes educator). Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 4 months. Feasibility will be determined by evaluating the degree to which participants engage in the VW-based intervention compared to face to face (number of sessions completed). Potential efficacy will be determined by comparing change in physiological (glycemic control) and behavioral (self-reported dietary intake, physical activity, blood glucose self-monitoring, and medication adherence) outcomes between the experimental and control groups.ResultsThe primary outcomes of interest are feasibility of the VW intervention and its potential efficacy on glucose control and diabetes self-management behaviors, compared to the face-to-face condition. Analysis will use a two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for changes in variable distribution. P values will be calculated using binomial tests for proportions and t tests for continuous variables.ConclusionsIf the intervention is found to be feasible and promising, it will be tested in a larger RCT.
Highlights
Type 2 diabetes is a serious threat to public health in the United States and the world and is a costly disease at the individual and societal levels
If the intervention is found to be feasible and promising, it will be tested in a larger RCT. (JMIR Res Protoc 2012;1(2):e24) doi:10.2196/resprot
In the United States, its prevalence has risen among all ethnic groups, especially among certain racial/ethnic minority groups such as African-Americans who have had a near doubling of prevalence ( 13%) since 1988 [1,2]
Summary
Type 2 diabetes (diabetes) is a serious threat to public health in the United States and the world and is a costly disease at the individual and societal levels. Only 49% of African Americans compared to 68% of Caucasians have a broadband Internet connection at home [9] In addition to this divide in access to connectivity and hardware, researchers have identified a skill and knowledge divide on the basis of technological competency and digital literacy [10]. Type 2 diabetes (diabetes) is a serious threat to public health in the United States and disproportionally affects many racial/ethnic minority groups, including African Americans. Limited access to treatment and high attrition rates further contribute to health disparities in diabetes-related morbidity and mortality among minorities. Technology-based interventions have potential for accomplishing this goal but evidence of feasibility and potential effectiveness is lacking, especially for populations that traditionally have limited educational attainment and low computer literacy
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