Research Description
This study will adapt an intervention to treat diabetes distress in adult African Americans. First, focus groups will be held with African Americans with type 2 diabetes to adapt the Diabetes Tune-Up Group intervention for this population. Then, the feasibility of the interventions will be assessed. The adapted intervention will be tested in 50 participants. Those participants will first complete an assessment and then wait three months to start the intervention. Then, each participant will choose to complete the intervention in-person or virtually. Participants will also complete assessments before and after the intervention. The study will look at the effects of the intervention on A1C, diabetes distress, satisfaction, and other measures of diabetes self-care efficacy. As a result of this study, the Diabetes Tune-Up Group intervention will provide another treatment option and virtual treatment modality for this underserved population. The results of this study will provide the basis for an expanded study of the effectiveness of the virtual Diabetes Tune-Up Group intervention.Research Profile
What area of diabetes research does your project cover? What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes?The topic of this research project addresses the feelings of emotional and behavioral burden of managing diabetes as a chronic illness, referred to as diabetes distress. In our study, we will test a new approach to assisting adult African American women in managing their diabetes self-care and feelings of diabetes distress. We will offer the Diabetes Tune-Up Group (eDTU) both virtually (online) and in-person to evaluate the impact of this group intervention on diabetes distress and A1c before and after participation in the groups.
If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?The primary aim of our study is to test whether our new approach to the treatment of diabetes distress is helpful to participants in terms of reducing emotional distress and improving A1c. Findings from this study will inform any changes that may be needed to the intervention before it is made available to the larger community of people with diabetes.
Why important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play?Diabetes has played a prominent role in my family history across 3 generations. Both professionally and personally, I have witnessed the impact that type 1 and type 2 diabetes has on the person with diabetes and their family members. This study will continue my history of striving to help people with diabetes improve their diabetes management through social and behavioral interventions.
In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?As a field, we increasingly recognize the interplay of mind and body in the development, prevention and management of diabetes. We also recognize the significant health disparities that exist across communities that experience the heavy burden of diabetes. Our work advances behavioral diabetes research to develop treatments and interventions for underserved populations and promote the wellbeing of all people with diabetes.