Pilot of Virtual Health Coaching Utilizing Lifestyle for Under-Resourced Patients With Type II Diabetes

Those having difficulty with SDoH (Social Determinants of Health) are associated with a higher incidence of diabetes as well as worse health outcomes. Inexpensive, effective virtual options for chronic diseases conducive to all levels of socio-economic status would be very beneficial. As early as 1934 there have been reports of nutritional interventions preventing and reversing DMII. A recent randomised trial utilizing meal replacement and caloric restriction noted greater diabetes remission rates with greater weight loss. Despite knowledge that weight and dietary factors are at the foundation of DMII incidence, control and even remission, it is challenging to find accessible, effective, community-based interventions.

Culturally sensitive health coaches trained to use motivational interviewing to create specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable and time-bound (S.M.A.R.T.) action plans through shared-decision making and thus personalized to the patients' literacy, resources and motivation level may overcome some of these cultural and literacy barriers. Accessibility is further increased by utilizing phone and text. This allows for low-tech, inexpensive remote patient monitoring. This real-time feedback may further increase patient self-efficacy and engagement. While using health coaching methods may improve diabetic control, the exact content of what should be delivered is unexplored. The mixed results of diabetes remission rates in dietary intervention studies is attributed to delivery of too low a "therapeutic dose" of lifestyle change. Therefore, it is postulated that health coaches personalizing the behavioral interventions that may be most effective in controlling and reversing diabetes may improve insulin resistance in a real-world primary-care based setting to those most challenged by barriers to care.

This is a pilot randomized control trial comparing usual care to usual care plus virtual health coaching utilizing lifestyle action plans in adult type II diabetic patients. This is a one-site study at an under-resourced family medicine residency clinic. The primary outcome is the change of insulin resistance as measured by HOMA2-IR. Secondary metabolic outcomes are being tracked. Potentially confounding variables related to SDoH, race, and engagement in health coaching are being assessed for. The cost of the intervention as well as expensive healthcare utilization as measured by ER visits are also being tracked.