Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment Study

BackgroundDiabetes impacts nearly 25% of veterans. Many veterans do not engage in recommended physical activity and other diabetes self-management behaviors. Type 2 diabetes is generally asymptomatic; as such, the long-term consequences of inadequate self-management and benef...

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Main Authors: Jennalee S Wooldridge, Jessica L Morse, Jorge Delgado, Niloofar Afari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2023-11-01
Series:JMIR Research Protocols
Online Access:https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e53874
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author Jennalee S Wooldridge
Jessica L Morse
Jorge Delgado
Niloofar Afari
author_facet Jennalee S Wooldridge
Jessica L Morse
Jorge Delgado
Niloofar Afari
author_sort Jennalee S Wooldridge
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundDiabetes impacts nearly 25% of veterans. Many veterans do not engage in recommended physical activity and other diabetes self-management behaviors. Type 2 diabetes is generally asymptomatic; as such, the long-term consequences of inadequate self-management and benefits of consistent self-management are not salient in the short term. Furthermore, self-management behaviors typically take place outside of medical visits; however, self-management–related factors are only assessed during medical visits, likely missing large amounts of variability. Thus, ambulatory assessment methods such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA), accelerometry, and continuous glucose monitoring are needed to understand the dynamics of daily self-management and identify potential intervention targets. ObjectiveThe overarching goal of this study is to understand daily, time-varying factors (comorbid affective symptoms and social context) that influence physical activity, diabetes self-management, glycemic management, daily functioning, and quality of life in participants’ natural environments. MethodsWe are recruiting veterans with type 2 diabetes (target N=100). Participants are required to complete a battery of baseline assessments related to mental health, psychosocial factors, and self-management behaviors. Participants then receive 5 momentary EMA surveys and 1 daily EMA survey per day, in which veterans report comorbid affective symptoms (mood, stress, and pain), social support, social interactions, physical activity, and other self-management behaviors. Momentary surveys are delivered randomly during daily preprogrammed intervals over a 14-day sampling period. Accelerometry and continuous glucose monitoring are also used to assess physical activity and blood glucose, respectively. The first 6 participants also completed interviews assessing their experience in the study and barriers to participation. These test participants informed modifications to the protocol for the remaining participants. ResultsThe project received funding in April of 2023. Enrollment began in March of 2023 and is planned to be completed in April 2025. Among the 6 test participants, the overall EMA response rate was 87% (range 74%-95%). The response rate for the EMA survey including daily items (67%, range 21%-93%) was lower than the earlier shorter EMA surveys (89%, range 81%-96%). The mean rate of valid accelerometer wear of at least 20 hours per day was 93% (SD 11%), and continuous glucose monitoring data were available for 91% (SD 17%) of days on average. Participants reported few barriers to completing EMA surveys but noted the random timing of questions made it difficult to plan around, and the end-of-day survey was long. Two participants reported survey items reminded or motivated them to engage in diabetes self-management behaviors. ConclusionsAssessment tools developed from this study can inform clinical decision-making by considering barriers to self-management that occur in daily life. Clinical applications include tailored, adaptive technology–supported interventions to improve self-management that provide the right type and amount of support at the right time by adapting to an individual’s changing internal and contextual state. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/53874
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spelling doaj.art-b2eaea9e06d148e0883a073745454b8c2023-11-20T13:45:32ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Research Protocols1929-07482023-11-0112e5387410.2196/53874Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment StudyJennalee S Wooldridgehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2815-5974Jessica L Morsehttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6800-7290Jorge Delgadohttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-5967-7829Niloofar Afarihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6489-378X BackgroundDiabetes impacts nearly 25% of veterans. Many veterans do not engage in recommended physical activity and other diabetes self-management behaviors. Type 2 diabetes is generally asymptomatic; as such, the long-term consequences of inadequate self-management and benefits of consistent self-management are not salient in the short term. Furthermore, self-management behaviors typically take place outside of medical visits; however, self-management–related factors are only assessed during medical visits, likely missing large amounts of variability. Thus, ambulatory assessment methods such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA), accelerometry, and continuous glucose monitoring are needed to understand the dynamics of daily self-management and identify potential intervention targets. ObjectiveThe overarching goal of this study is to understand daily, time-varying factors (comorbid affective symptoms and social context) that influence physical activity, diabetes self-management, glycemic management, daily functioning, and quality of life in participants’ natural environments. MethodsWe are recruiting veterans with type 2 diabetes (target N=100). Participants are required to complete a battery of baseline assessments related to mental health, psychosocial factors, and self-management behaviors. Participants then receive 5 momentary EMA surveys and 1 daily EMA survey per day, in which veterans report comorbid affective symptoms (mood, stress, and pain), social support, social interactions, physical activity, and other self-management behaviors. Momentary surveys are delivered randomly during daily preprogrammed intervals over a 14-day sampling period. Accelerometry and continuous glucose monitoring are also used to assess physical activity and blood glucose, respectively. The first 6 participants also completed interviews assessing their experience in the study and barriers to participation. These test participants informed modifications to the protocol for the remaining participants. ResultsThe project received funding in April of 2023. Enrollment began in March of 2023 and is planned to be completed in April 2025. Among the 6 test participants, the overall EMA response rate was 87% (range 74%-95%). The response rate for the EMA survey including daily items (67%, range 21%-93%) was lower than the earlier shorter EMA surveys (89%, range 81%-96%). The mean rate of valid accelerometer wear of at least 20 hours per day was 93% (SD 11%), and continuous glucose monitoring data were available for 91% (SD 17%) of days on average. Participants reported few barriers to completing EMA surveys but noted the random timing of questions made it difficult to plan around, and the end-of-day survey was long. Two participants reported survey items reminded or motivated them to engage in diabetes self-management behaviors. ConclusionsAssessment tools developed from this study can inform clinical decision-making by considering barriers to self-management that occur in daily life. Clinical applications include tailored, adaptive technology–supported interventions to improve self-management that provide the right type and amount of support at the right time by adapting to an individual’s changing internal and contextual state. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/53874https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e53874
spellingShingle Jennalee S Wooldridge
Jessica L Morse
Jorge Delgado
Niloofar Afari
Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment Study
JMIR Research Protocols
title Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment Study
title_full Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment Study
title_fullStr Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment Study
title_full_unstemmed Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment Study
title_short Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment Study
title_sort daily functioning of veterans with type 2 diabetes protocol for an ambulatory assessment study
url https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e53874
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