This is a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Changing Health through Food Support for Diabetes (CHEFS-DM). This pragmatic RCT will leverage Project Open Hand's (POH) real-world programs to test the impact of a six month medically tailored food support and nutrition intervention ("CHEFS-DM") on glycemic control and other cardiometabolic outcomes, investigate the paths through which CHEFS-DM may durably improve health, and assess the economic value of the intervention to society.
CHEFS-DM is a six-month intervention providing a diabetes-tailored diet meeting approximately 75% of daily energy requirements and designed based on American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines, together with diabetes nutritional education provided by registered dietitians. In this pragmatic RCT, investigators propose to rigorously evaluate the intervention among 440\* low-income adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) recruited from networks of safety net clinics in San Francisco and Alameda counties, California. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to the intervention (n=220\*) versus control (n=220\*), using a parallel design. The study aims are as follows: Aim 1: To determine the impact of CHEFS-DM on glycemic control and other cardiometabolic outcomes. Aim 2: To determine the impact of CHEFS-DM on intermediate outcomes that may mediate any impact of CHEFS-DM on T2DM health. Participant will be followed for 6 months (control arm) and 12 months (intervention arm) with structured interviews, anthropometric assessments, 24-hour dietary recalls, blood pressure measurements, blood draws, and semi structured interviews. Follow-up will be broken up into two phases. From baseline to six months, researchers will implement the CHEFS-DM intervention and follow both intervention and control arm participants (n=440\*). After the end of the six-month follow-up, the intervention arm will transition to receiving standard POH services comprising 33% to 67% of daily energy requirements depending on health status, and will be followed for an additional six months, in order to assess the extent to which any health benefits are sustained at 12 months (n=220\*). Hence, the control arm will be followed for six months and participate in two sets of assessments (baseline and at six months), and the intervention arm will be followed for 12 months and participate in three sets of assessments (baseline, six months, and twelve months). \*Update: Due to COVID-era challenges, NIH approved changes to the study in January 2024 including a reduced sample size (at least n=246) and reduced measures and procedures to ease participant burden (see updated SAP Version 2, Section 7, for details).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
281
1\. Diabetes-tailored food support. Project Open Hand will provide intervention participants six months of supplemental food support meeting on average 75% of their daily energy requirements. Food support will consist of a mix of meals tailored for T2DM, and T2DM-healthy groceries, consistent with American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines for diabetes healthy diets under the responsibility of a registered dietitian.
2\. Nutritional counseling and education: The registered dietitian will provide individual nutritional counseling two times (at baseline and month 5-6) during the intervention. In addition, group-based DM nutrition education will be conducted over four 1-hour-long sessions. The nutrition education will be conducted by a POH dietitian, and the curriculum will be consistent with published diabetes self- management education principles, utilizing effective strategies in lower wealth, lower literacy populations.
Project Open Hand
San Francisco, California, United States
Change in Hemoglobin A1c from baseline to six months by study arm
Change HbA1c levels (%) from baseline to six months by study arms.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in food insecurity severity from baseline to six months by study arm
The US adult food security survey module from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be used to assess the change in the food security scores from baseline to six months. The score ranges from 0 to 10. Higher score indicates higher severity of food insecurity
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in the proportion of participants with low and very low food security
Low and very low food security will be defined as 3 or more items answered affirmatively in the USDA's US adult food security survey module. Change in proportion of participants with low or very low food security, from baseline to six months by intervention arms will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in proportion of participants with glucose control by study arm.
Glucose control will be defined as HbA1c lower than 9%. The change from baseline to six months, in the proportion of participants with glucose control will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure from baseline to six months
Changes in the average of three repeated measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) from baseline to six months by study arm.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 months
Change in medication adherence from baseline to six months by study arm
A single-item Rating Visual Analogue Scale will be used to evaluate diabetes medication adherence. Using the scale, participants self-report the adherence of medication ranging from 0% to 100%. The changes in diabetes medication adherence (percentage) from baseline to six months by study arms will be reported.
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Time frame: Baseline and six months
Acute health care utilization from baseline to six month by study arm
Proportion of participants that used emergency health care (Emergency department or urgent care) during the 6 months of the study by study arm will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Hospital admissions from baseline to six months by study arm
Proportion of participants who were hospitalized at least once from baseline to six months of the study by study arms will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline to six months
Missed outpatient visits from baseline to six months by study arm
Proportion of participants that missed at least one outpatient visits from baseline to six months by study arms will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline to six months
Change in health-related quality of life scores from baseline to six months by study arm
The quality of life will be measured using the standardized 12-item short form health survey (SF-12v2). The SF-12v2 provides a summary score for physical and mental health. The transformed T score has a mean=50 and Standard Deviation=10, in which higher values means better health. The change in SF-12 T scores from baseline to six months by study arm will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in body mass index (BMI) from baseline to six months by study arm
The average of three repeated measurements of weight and height will be obtained at baseline and at six months. The BMI will be calculated (weight (kg)/ (height (m)\^2). Changes in in BMI values (kg/ m\^2) from baseline to six months by study arm will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in healthy eating index score 2015 (HEI-2015) from baseline to six months by study arm.
Dietary information using an automated self- administered 24-hour dietary recall instrument from the National Cancer Institute's (ASA24) will be collected. The HEI-2015 is a measure of diet quality which evaluates how well the food consumed aligns with the Dietary guidelines for American population. The HEI-2015 score ranges from 0-100 in which a higher score indicates better diet quality. The adequacy component of the HEI ranges from 0-60 and the moderation component ranges from 0-40 (both with higher score indicating better diet quality). Changes in the adequacy and moderation HEI-2015 score from baseline to six months by study arm will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in depressive symptoms from baseline to six months by study arm
The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) will be used to evaluate depressive symptoms. The PHQ-9 score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating higher levels of depression. The change in PHQ-9 scores from baseline to six months by study arm will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in diabetes distress scale from baseline to six months by study arm
The diabetes distress scale (DDS) has 17 items measuring frustration, anger, and discouragement associated with managing complex diabetes health-care directives. The DDS score ranges from 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating higher levels of distress. The change in diabetes distress scores from baseline to six months by study arms will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months
Change in diabetes self-efficacy from baseline to six months by study arm
The 8-item Perceived Diabetes Self-Management (PDSM) scale will be used to assess confidence in one's ability to manage numerous self-care behaviors, including diet, and management of glucose. The PDSM scores ranges from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating more confidence in self-managing their diabetes. The changes in the PDSM scores from baseline to six months by study arm will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline and six months