The Effects of an Intensive Lifestyle Intervention on Employment, Earnings, and Retirement
Condition: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Starting in 2001, the Look AHEAD study randomized patients with type 2 diabetes to an
      intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) focused on weight loss versus a control group
      receiving diabetes education ("Diabetes Support and Education," or DSE). The ILI successfully
      reduced weight, improved diabetes control, and functional status, among other outcomes. In
      this study, the investigators will compare employment, earnings, and retirement between the
      ILI and the control group during and after the intervention period (2001-2018).
    

Detailed description: 
      Starting in 2001, the Look AHEAD study randomized 5145 patients with type 2 diabetes to an
      intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) focused on weight loss versus a control group
      receiving diabetes education ("Diabetes Support and Education," or DSE).The Look AHEAD study
      tested whether participants with type 2 diabetes assigned to an intensive lifestyle
      intervention (ILI) for weight loss exhibited reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and
      mortality, relative to a control group receiving usual care and diabetes support and
      education. During the 12-year intervention period, the ILI led to persistent reductions in
      weight, waist circumference, and hemoglobin A1c and improvements in physical fitness, among
      other clinical benefits. After the conclusion of the intervention in 2012, participants were
      consented to be linked with administrative data. The investigators attempted to link 3188
      consenting participants with Social Security Administration databases. Of these, the
      investigators were able to successfully link 3093 participants. In this study, the
      investigators will compare employment, earnings, and retirement between the ILI and the
      control group during and after the intervention period (2001-2018). The investigators will
      determine ILI-versus-control differences in employment, earnings, and retirement in each year
      after randomization, relative to a pre-randomization assessment period. The investigators
      will also investigate ILI-versus-control differences in cumulative years of employment and
      earnings after randomization which occurred between 2001-2004. The investigators will use
      multivariate regressions controlling for baseline participant characteristics and clinic site
      and also survival analyses that estimate whether the time until retirement differs between
      the ILI and control groups.
    

Intervention name(s): Intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI); Diabetes support and education (DSE)
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Lifestyle intervention focused on weight loss through diet and physical activity; Behavioral intervention focused on diabetes support and education
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Retrospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        The study population includes Look AHEAD participants who consented to administrative data
        linkages, provided individual identifiers that could be linked with Social Security
        Administration data, and were successfully linked to Social Security Administration data.