Diabetes/obesity prevention in youth

National Institute Of Diabetes And Digestive And Kidney Diseases

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Recent studies have shown an increase in both incidence and prevalence of diabetes particularly among youths of minority racial and ethnic groups such as AI/AN and Hispanics. The TTP study that is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Colorado, started enrolling participants at the Phoenix site in the summer of 2019. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 has adversely impacted both enrollment and TTP program delivery at all the three study sites that includes the urban Phoenix site. Due to the pandemic related safety regulations, the TTP curriculum had to be rapidly adapted to a virtual format and the active learning classes and motivational interviewing sessions had to be delivered remotely. All in-person research visits were paused until October 2020 when the first data collection visits were re-scheduled. Participants could opt for either fully remote visits or a combination of in-clinic and fully remote procedures referred to as a hybrid visit. Currently 30 child participants and 33 support persons (adult participants) have been enrolled, no new participant enrollment is occurring at the NIDDK Phoenix and Navajo Nation sites, and participants are in follow-up phase. A recent publication from the collaboration addressed : (1) how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted TTPs operations, and how the TTP team successfully adapted; (2) how the effects of COVID-19 and our adaptations to them were similar or different across TTPs reservation and urban research sites; and (3) what lessons the TTP team learned from this experience that may help other Native health research teams be resilient in this and future crises. In collaboration with Joslin Diabetes Center, we are analyzing gut microbial samples at baseline of child participants in the TTP study.