Families Defeating Diabetes (FDD)

No evidence-based, evaluated, population-appropriate resources exist to translate Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) primary prevention messages to Canadians. Significant barriers to such large-scale interventions include:

• the need to identify, then target specific at-risk populations
• significant time-delays before any program effects on T2DM incidence may manifest.

However, women with gestational diabetes (GDM) are a readily identifiable study cohort at significant risk for recurrent GDM and T2DM-hence GDM women provide important opportunities for rigorous, timely diabetes prevention intervention studies. The investigators propose FDD (Families Defeating Diabetes), a Canadian diabetes prevention intervention uniquely targeting women with recent GDM in the context of their families.

FDD is a 12 month, randomized, controlled T2DM prevention intervention targeting women with recent GDM, within their family context. Five Canadian sites and 177 women will participate. Multifaceted information and behavioural change support will be provided for diet, weight loss, and activity through: seminar, walking groups, electronic updates, password-protected social networking site.

Subjects and controls will be compared for: DM prevention knowledge; diet/activity choices; HbA1C; body habitus at study onset/during study/12 months/24 months.

Consenting immediate family members will have protective knowledge/diet/exercise choices/body habitus measures documented at study onset/12 and 24 months.