Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic and progressive medical condition that has reached pandemic levels, currently affecting 368 million people worldwide. With previous research demonstrating that T2DM is largely irreversible, the focus is now on developing and disseminating structured diabetes self-management education and support (DSME) programs to help patients live as healthfully as possible without exacerbating their illness. In recent years, several DSME interventions have demonstrated clinically meaningful changes in T2DM patients; however, there appears to be little translation of these programs from research into real world settings because these settings often lack clear blueprints for how to create or implement DSME programs that best fit their organizational needs and structure. Thus, the current study aimed to address this research-practice gap through the development of a brief, theoretically-driven, and behaviorally-focused group-based DSME curriculum for use in real world settings. Phase 1 of the study entailed concentrated efforts to join behavioral health researchers, community health leaders, and T2DM experts in combining the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (a prominent health behavior theory), cognitive behavioral principles, and current guidelines from the American Diabetes Association into a novel DSME curriculum. Phase 2 of the study then focused on implementing the resulting four-session curriculum, An Active Approach to Diabetes Self-Management, in local community centers and examining its early acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness in producing clinical and psychosocial outcomes of interest. A total of 22 adults with T2DM, ranging in age from 35 to 87 years, were recruited from four community organizations and entered into four separate groups. Results indicate statistically significant improvements in participants' glycemic control, diabetes knowledge, and diabetes self-efficacy over the course of the study. In addition, results indicate that both participants and community liaisons were highly satisfied with the intervention. These findings contribute to the field's growing knowledge of how best to capitalize on clinical, research, and real world expertise to design thoughtful and practical DSME programs.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Psychology
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Diabetes--Treatment
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Self-care, Health
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_7505
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (vii, 110 p. : ill.)
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Jessica Samantha Yu
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore19991600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
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Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.