Effectiveness Study of Community-Based, Peer-Led Education on Weight Loss and Diabetes

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai402 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of a peer-led community-based lifestyle intervention, versus usual care, in achieving weight loss and prevention of diabetes among overweight adults with pre-diabetes in East Harlem.

Weight loss can prevent diabetes and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in incident diabetes among overweight adults with pre-diabetes. However, proven effective interventions have not been sustained or disseminated in community settings. A community-academic partnership aims to employ community-based participatory research to conduct a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a culturally tailored, peer-led diabetes prevention intervention that promotes weight loss. People who develop diabetes go through a period when they have "pre-diabetes". In clinical settings, overweight adults with pre-diabetes who reduce their weight by 5-10% can reduce their risk of developing diabetes by 55-60%. To date, there are no studies testing the effectiveness of peer-led, community-based programs in achieving diabetes prevention through weight loss. We will identify and enroll 400 overweight (BMI \> 25) adults with pre-diabetes in East Harlem and randomized half into a community-based, peer-led lifestyle education program that teaches simple ways to lose weight.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

402

Conditions

Pre-diabetes

Interventions

Peer-Led Lifestyle Education on Weight LossBEHAVIORAL

Project HEED (Help Educate to Eliminate Diabetes) is a bilingual lifestyle education program written at a 4th grade reading level, and contains simple, actionable, messages, is easily taught by lay leaders, and focuses on enhancing self-efficacy to make lifestyle changes. It consists of 8 sessions (1½ hours each) held over 10-weeks. Topics include diabetes prevention, finding and affording healthy foods, label reading, fun physical activity, planning a healthy plate, making traditional foods healthy, and portion control.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years of age and older * Residents of East Harlem or members of an East Harlem Institution in zip codes 10029, 10035, OR in the section of 10037 east of Fifth Avenue * BMI ≥ 25 AND pre-diabetes glucose values, defined as fasting fingerstick glucose of 100-125mg/dl and/or glucose 2 hours after an oral glucose load of 140-199 mg/dl * Able to communicate verbally to participate in a group education class * English or Spanish speaking Exclusion Criteria: * \< 18 years * Previous diagnosis of diabetes * BMI \<25 * Fingerstick glucoses outside pre-diabetes level ranges * Currently pregnant * On medications that may raise or lower blood glucose * Cognitive or physical impairment that would preclude comprehension of a conversation and communicating as part of a group (i.e., dementia, deafness, inability to speak) * Self-reported terminal illness with life expectancy of less than 1 year * Plans to relocate from New York City within one year of enrollment

Locations (1)

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

New York, New York, United States