Telehealth Diabetes Prevention Intervention for African American Youth

The Telehealth Diabetes Prevention Intervention for the Next Generation of African American Youth (TELE-GEN) pilot study will evaluate the implementation and early efficacy of a telehealth diabetes prevention intervention for African American (AA) children (8- to 11-years) and their parents. Power to Prevent is a lifestyle diabetes prevention intervention from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is based on the Diabetes Prevention Program and tailored for AA families. To investigators knowledge, this intervention has not been evaluated in a clinical trial with AA families with children at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), nor been delivered via telehealth. Employing an effectiveness-implementation hybrid study design, investigators aim to concurrently (1) conduct a single arm pilot trial to assess the early efficacy of Power to Prevent delivered via telehealth to treat overweight/obesity in AA children and their parent, while (2) evaluating an implementation strategy for the uptake of the intervention by the pediatric weight management clinic at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The primary outcome will be stabilization or reduction in BMI z-score in children (index participant) and reduction in parent BMI (co-participant). Parents (n=20) will receive the same telehealth diabetes prevention intervention, which will be delivered by a racially concordant, trained Lifestyle Coach using small-group videoconferencing (5 parents per group). Sessions will consist of nutrition and physical activity behavior change strategies (20 min), problem solving and decision-making skills to circumvent barriers to behavioral change (20 min), and family goal setting and action planning (20 min). Child and parent measures will be assessed at baseline, 12-weeks (post-intervention), and 30-weeks (follow-up). The implementation strategy has two targets: (1) the pediatric weight management clinical and clinical care team; and (2) overweight/obese pediatric patients and their overweight/obese parents. The multifaceted implementation plan includes four discrete strategies: (1) creating a new clinical team; (2) changing the service site; (3) intervening with families; and (4) assessing organizational readiness. Preliminary findings will provide data to design a full-scale study that will include a powered pilot randomized controlled trial to test the interventions effectiveness for preventing T2DM, while evaluating a refined implementation protocol.

The Telehealth Diabetes Prevention Intervention for the Next Generation of African American Youth (TELE-GEN) pilot study will evaluate the implementation and early efficacy of a telehealth diabetes prevention intervention for African American (AA) children (8- to 11-years-old) and their parents. Power to Prevent is a lifestyle diabetes prevention intervention from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is based on the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and tailored specifically for AA families. To the knowledge of the study's investigators, this intervention has not yet been evaluated in a clinical trial with AA families with children at risk for T2DM, nor been delivered via telehealth. Employing an effectiveness-implementation hybrid research design, investigators aim to concurrently: (1) conduct a single arm pilot clinical trial to assess the early efficacy of Power to Prevent delivered via telehealth to treat overweight/obesity in AA children and their parent, while (2) comprehensively evaluate a multifaceted implementation strategy for the uptake of Power to Prevent delivered via telehealth by UMMC's pediatric weight management clinic. The primary outcome measure will be stabilization or reduction in BMI z-score in children (index participant) and a reduction in parent BMI (co-participant). Eligible overweight/obese children and their overweight/obese parent (N=20 families) will receive the same telehealth diabetes prevention intervention based on Power to Prevent, which will be delivered by a racially concordant Lifestyle Coach trained in the DPP. Families will meet weekly for 11-weeks (60-min sessions), and then monthly (60-min sessions) for 4 pilot behavioral reinforcement maintenance sessions (15 sessions total). Participants will meet in their respective groups (n=5 families per group) via videoconferencing using Wi-Fi-enabled tablets with cellular connectivity for the entire intervention. Sessions will consist of nutrition and physical activity behavior change strategies (20 min), problem solving and decision-making skills to circumvent barriers to behavioral change (20 min), and family goal setting and action planning (20 min). Assessment measures will be collected from the child and parent participants at baseline, 12-weeks (post-intervention), and 30-weeks (follow-up). The implementation strategy has two targets: (1) UMMC's pediatric weight management clinical setting and clinical care team; and (2) overweight/obese pediatric patients and their overweight/obese parents referred to and engaged in intensive obesity treatment for the prevention of T2DM. The multifaceted implementation plan includes four discrete strategies: (1) creating a new clinical team; (2) changing the service site; (3) intervening with families; and (4) assessing organizational readiness. Preliminary findings will provide sufficient data to design a full-scale effectiveness-implementation hybrid study that will include a powered pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the interventions effectiveness for preventing T2DM, while evaluating a refined implementation protocol. The overall purpose of the TELE-GEN pilot study directly contributes to the goal of the Jackson Heart Study Community Engagement Center by leveraging existing infrastructure and technology to engage AA families in a virtual community to prevent T2DM. The proposed aims and methods also parallel the NHLBI's strategic goal to advance transnational research.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* AA parents (biological, grandparent, legal guardian) and their 8- to 11-year-old child residing in the same home.
* One overweight/obese parent (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) and child (≥ 85th% age-/sex-specific BMI).
* Parent at-risk for diabetes (American Diabetes Association risk test) AND HbA1c 5.7% - 6.4%.

Exclusion Criteria:

* child or parent has a history of T2DM or a screening HbA1c \>6.4%;
* is taking glucose-lowering medications;
* is participating in a supervised weight loss program;
* is pregnant or breast feeding;
* has conditions limiting participation;
* has undergone weight loss surgery;
* is moving out-of-state within 6 months.
* If a parent becomes pregnant during the study, we will include only child data (index participant) in analyses