Computer Assisted Support For Underserved Diabetics

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Sixteen million Americans suffer from diabetes. Prevalence of diabetes is especially high among Hispanic adults. Helping patients control their diabetes can decrease complications, improve quality of life, and decrease costs of care. Nutrition and exercise to achieve a healthy weight are key behavioral interventions in diabetes management. However, clinic-based weight management programs are expensive, difficult to deliver on a population-basis and are not typically structured to meet the unique needs of medically underserved Hispanic populations. The goal of this proposal is to test a practical and easily delivered intervention for weight management to assist underserved Hispanic diabetics. The intervention will utilize a computer-based software program to tailor the intervention to the unique needs of each patient. Evidence-based behavioral models that hold promise for helping individuals make changes to better manage body weight will be applied. This system is designed to operate on clinic-based personal computers and will provide individual assessment and tailored, real-time and feedback reports to patients and physician/healthcare provider reports outlining key areas for patient improvement and counseling suggestions for practitioners. In Phase II, we will test this treatment approach using a randomized design comparing TEST and CONTROL conditions with a sample of 306 medically under-served Hispanic diabetics with a body-mass-index (BMI) greater than 25. The intervention system is expected to improve glucose control and weight management in the TEST population at a rate greater than the CONTROL population.