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Increasing Heart Healthy Behaviors in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Cardiovascular Risk Factor
Type1diabetes
Interventions
Behavioral: Heart healthy intervention
Registration Number
NCT03531021
Lead Sponsor
Joslin Diabetes Center
Brief Summary

This study is evaluating how to encourage teens to engage in heart healthy behaviors such as being more active or eating in a healthy way. Teens will be randomly assigned to either the usual care group or the group with education, goal-setting, and lifestyle challenges with teammates.

Detailed Description

Specific Aim: To develop and pilot test a modular intervention to improve heart healthy self-efficacy and behaviors in teens with type 1 diabetes at elevated cardiovascular disease risk.

Intervention Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a psychoeducational and behavioral intervention to improve heart healthy self-efficacy and behaviors in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) CVD risk.

Secondary Objective: Assess participation in challenges involving healthy eating and physical activity.

Synopsis of Study Design

Study Design: Randomized, attention-matched trial with 1:1 randomization at a single center. Subjects will be randomized in two strata, by age (14-16 years and 17-19 years).

Study Population: Teens with type 1 diabetes.

Intervention: This pilot study involves a 6-month randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing 2 study conditions, the behavioral intervention vs. an attention control. Youth will be randomized in 2 strata, by age (14-16 years and 17-19 years). Enrollment will end after 60 participants.

The intervention group will receive 2 modules (one in in person and one by video conference) and will receive follow-up phone calls/emails by study staff 3 weeks following each visit to review education and strategies for and barriers to reaching goals. Intervention sessions must include teen; parents may attend if they wish. Challenges will occur every 2 weeks. Participants will be on teams of about 3-5 teens and the teams may change over the course of the intervention due to staggered enrollment. As team members finish the study, newly randomized teammates will be assigned.

There will be a delayed intervention for the control group with study handouts after 3 months. The control group will meet with the research assistants (RAs) for demographic and survey completion and receive reminder phone calls/emails in order to match for attention.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
45
Inclusion Criteria
  • Teens ages 14-19 years old with T1D for ≥6 months
  • Current patients at Joslin Diabetes Center
  • Teens will have dyslipidemia (defined as LDL ≥100 mg/dl, HDL <40 mg/dl or triglycerides ≥130 mg/dl in past year), overweight or obesity (BMI percentile ≥85th at screening), prehypertensive or hypertensive blood pressure on day of screening visit, or A1c ≥8.0%
  • Youth and parents must be English speaking, without significant learning disabilities, and intend to continue care at our center.
  • Access to a smart phone with video conferencing capabilities
Exclusion Criteria
  • Participation in an interventional study within the past 3 months.
  • Unwilling to comply with study procedures
  • Prescribed BP and/or lipid-lowering medications (besides over-the-counter supplements)
  • Contraindication to exercise

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Heart healthy interventionHeart healthy interventionThe intervention group will receive 2 modules (one in in person and one by video conference) and will receive follow-up phone calls/emails by study staff 3 weeks following each visit to review education and strategies for and barriers to reaching goals. Intervention sessions must include teen; parents may attend if they wish. Participants will be placed on teams and encouraged to complete behavioral challenges to earn points towards a cash reward.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Adolescent Food Habits Checklist3 months

healthy eating questionnaire, 23 question true/false survey, score range from 0-23, higher scores indicate healthier habits, no subscales.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Eating Habits Confidence Survey3 months

evaluation of how confident participants are that they can eat in a healthy way

Engagement with behavioral challenges3 months

Proportion of intervention participants who completed challenges

Changes in lipid levels3 months

Changes in lipid levels from before study until study end

Exercise Confidence Survey3 months

evaluation of self-efficacy for exercise

Blood pressure3 months

Changes in blood pressure percentile

Acceptance of medication for CVD risk survey3 months

brief questions to evaluate willingness to take medication if prescribed

Adiposity3 months

changes in zbmi

Activity level3 months

Documentation of how active participants were during study

Healthy Eating Self-Efficacy Survey3 months

healthy eating self-efficacy measure

Change in weight3 months

change in weight in kg between enrollment and study completion

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Joslin Diabetes Center

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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