Virtual Lifestyle Management: Prevention Through the UPMC Patient Portal
Condition: Obesity
MeSH terms: Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Diabetes affects 18 million Americans and costs over $132 billion in both direct treatment
      and lost productivity per year. It is known that weight loss, improved diet and increased
      exercise can result in improvement in glucose, lipid, and blood pressure control in patients
      with diabetes and reduce the incidence of diabetes in individuals at high risk. Effective
      delivery of proven, comprehensive lifestyle programs is difficult because of associated high
      costs.

      The internet provides a venue to deliver these lifestyle programs to large numbers of
      individuals while decreasing the cost per person. HealthTrak, the University of Pittsburgh
      Medical Center (UPMC) patient portal, provides an ideal setting to test such a program.
      HealthTrak provides participants with access to individual medical information while
      facilitating electronic communication with their physicians. Portal enhancements will allow
      the delivery of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention aimed at weight loss, improved diet,
      and increased exercise, and provide the opportunity to communicate with experts regarding
      concerns.

      Through this project, we will evaluate the modification of a successful comprehensive
      lifestyle intervention for delivery through HealthTrak. We will enroll and follow 50
      individuals with diabetes or at high risk for diabetes for 12 months and examine change in
      parameters including diet, weight, physical activity, hemoglobin A1C, glucose, blood
      pressure, and lipid profile.
    

Detailed description: 
      Diabetes affects 18 million Americans and costs over $132 billion in both direct treatment
      and lost productivity per year. It is known that weight loss, improved diet and increased
      exercise can result in improvement in glucose, lipid, and blood pressure control in patients
      with diabetes and reduce the incidence of diabetes in individuals at high risk. Effective
      delivery of proven, comprehensive lifestyle programs is difficult because of associated high
      costs.

      The internet provides a venue to deliver these lifestyle programs to large numbers of
      individuals while decreasing the cost per person. HealthTrak, the University of Pittsburgh
      Medical Center (UPMC) patient portal, provides an ideal setting to test such a program.
      HealthTrak provides participants with access to individual medical information while
      facilitating electronic communication with their physicians. Portal enhancements will allow
      the delivery of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention aimed at weight loss, improved diet,
      and increased exercise, and provide the opportunity to communicate with experts regarding
      concerns.

      Through this project, we will evaluate the modification of a successful comprehensive
      lifestyle intervention for delivery through HealthTrak. We will enroll and follow 50
      individuals with diabetes or at high risk for diabetes for 12 months and examine change in
      parameters including diet, weight, physical activity, hemoglobin A1C, glucose, blood
      pressure, and lipid profile
    

Intervention name(s): Virtual Lifestyle Management (VLM)
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 16 weekly lessons followed by monthly maintenance lessons
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Keywords: Obesity; Diabetes; Internet; Obesity with high cardiovascular risk