Demystifying diabetes health coaching: A scoping review unveiling the 'who' and 'where' of health coaching for adults with type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex chronic condition that requires ongoing self-management. Diabetes health coaching interventions provide personalized healthcare programming to address physical and psychosocial aspects of diabetes self-management.

AIMS

This scoping review aims to explore the contexts and settings of diabetes health coaching interventions for adults with T2D, using the RE-AIM framework.

METHODS

A search was completed in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Emcare, Embase and Cochrane. Included citations described adults with exclusively T2D who had received a health coaching intervention. Citations were excluded if they focused on any other types of diabetes or diabetes prevention.

RESULTS

A total of 3418 records were identified through database and manual searches, with 29 citations selected for data extraction. Most health coaching interventions were delivered by health professionals, many employed lay health workers and a few included peer coaches. While many health coaching interventions were delivered remotely, in-person intervention settings were distributed among primary care, community health settings and non-healthcare sites.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this review suggest that diabetes health coaching may be implemented by a variety of providers in different settings. Further research is required to standardize training and implementation of health coaching and evaluate its long-term effectiveness.

Dosing of Health and Wellness Coaching for Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes: Research Synthesis to Derive Recommendations

Health and wellness coaching (HWC) is an effective intervention for lifestyle disease such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The evolving HWC profession needs recommendations to guide clinical practice, particularly the appropriate dose of coaching. The purpose of this paper was to systematically review and synthesize HWC literature to derive HWC programming recommendations. Of 102 papers retrieved, 88 were retained with data extracted determining HWC session number, frequency, duration, program length, and total coaching load. Differential analysis yielded no statistical difference in programming variables for randomized control trials and other designs, nor for studies with significant findings v. those not finding statistical significance, allowing these data to be pooled. The HWC intervention for obesity was slightly more intense (15 sessions over 7-8 mo) than the diabetes programming (12 sessions over 9-10 mo). On average, HWC programming applied in the peer-reviewed literature was 12-15 sessions of 35-40 min duration over 7-9 months. These recommendations for HWC programming variables are put forth as initial practice guidelines and should be examined with comparative effectiveness study for optimization. HWC best practice guidelines for other patient groups (e.g., heart disease, cancer, and chronic pain) should also be studied once an adequate literature data base is available.

Medical Nutrition Therapy Interventions Provided by Dietitians for Adult Overweight and Obesity Management: An Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence-Based Practice Guideline

Overweight and obesity affect most adults living in the United States and are causally linked to several adverse health outcomes. Registered dietitian nutritionists or international equivalents (dietitians) collaborate with each client and other health care professionals to meet client-centered goals, informed by the best available evidence, and translated through a lens of clinical expertise and client circumstances and preferences. Since the last iteration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics guideline on adult weight management in 2014, considerable research has been conducted and circumstances confronting dietitians have evolved. Thus, updated guidance is needed. The objective of this evidence-based practice guideline is to provide recommendations for dietitians who deliver medical nutrition therapy behavioral interventions for adults (18 years and older) with overweight and obesity to improve cardiometabolic outcomes, quality of life, and weight outcomes, when appropriate for and desired by the client. Recommendations in this guideline highlight the importance of considering complex contributors to overweight and obesity and individualizing interventions to client-centered goals based on specific needs and preferences and shared decision making. The described recommendations have the potential to increase access to care and decrease costs through utilization of telehealth and group counseling as effective delivery methods, and to address other barriers to overweight and obesity management interventions. It is essential for dietitians to collaborate with clients and interprofessional health care teams to provide high-quality medical nutrition therapy interventions using the nutrition care process to promote attainment of client-centered outcomes for adults with overweight or obesity.

Associations between density and quality of health promotion programmes and built environment features across Jerusalem

BACKGROUND

Health promotion programmes (HPPs) have the potential to influence individual health, depending on their quality and characteristics. Little is known about how they interact with built environment features and neighbourhood demographics in cities with substantial health disparities.

METHODS

Using the European Quality Instrument for Health Promotion (EQUIHP), we assessed the quality of HPPs, operating between 2016 and 2017, among adults aged 18-75 in Jerusalem. Areas were characterized by ethnicity and area socioeconomic level. Health information (body mass index, physical activity level) was obtained from the city profile survey. Geospatial information on the location and length of walking paths and bicycle lanes was obtained. Spearman correlations were used to assess associations among variables.

RESULTS

Ninety-three HPPs operating in 349 locations in Jerusalem were identified. Programmes were unevenly distributed across urban planning areas (UPAs), with the highest density observed in the southwest, areas populated mainly by non-orthodox Jewish residents. However, the best performing HPPs based on EQUIHP score were in the north and east UPAs, inhabited primarily by Arab residents. At a neighbourhood level, characteristics of the built environment positively correlated with higher total EQUIHP scores: the ratio between walking lane length to the neighbourhood's population size (r = 0.413, P < 0.001) and length of bicycle lane per population (r = 0.309, P = 0.5). Median EQUIHP score negatively correlated with the number of programmes per neighbourhood size (m2) (r = -0.327, P = 0.006) and neighbourhood average socioeconomic status (SES; r = -0.266, P = 0.027).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that higher quality HPPs were preferentially located in areas of lower SES and served minority populations in Jerusalem.

Systematic review into city interventions to address obesity

BACKGROUND

Obesity threatens to undo the improvements that have been made in life expectancy over the last two centuries. It disproportionately affects lower socioeconomic and ethnic minority groups and has become one of the most important global health challenges of the 21^stcentury. Whilst obesity is not confined to city populations, cities are home to more than half of the world's population with concentrated groups at high risk of obesity. Cities have also long been the forefront of social and technological change that has led to our current obesogenic environment. The aim of this study was to systematically identify city-wide interventions to address obesity, from which recommendations for policy makers, health system leaders and political leaders in cities could be made.

METHODS

Systematic review, conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, examining Embase, Ovid Medline, Central, Scopus, Campbell Library, CINALH, Health Business Elite; Health Management Information Consortium (HMIC), PyschINFO and Prospero. No restrictions on article type, date range or geographic location were applied. Along with classic academic sources, books and policy white papers were sought and reviewed. Studies that described a city-wide intervention to reduce obesity were included, irrespective of study design or perceived methodological quality. Only studies in English language were included. The primary outcome indicators that were sought and extracted were: reduction in obesity, reduction in weight and/or reduction in BMI. Where a primary outcome indicator was not stated, any other secondary impact measure was identified and recorded. This manuscript represents thematic analysis of a sub-set of data from the Prospero study, registration number: CRD42020166210.

FINDINGS

Our search yielded 42,137 original citations of which 1614 met the inclusion criteria and 96 were coded as relating to obesity. The 96 citations, ranging in year of publication 1997 to 2019, were conducted in 36 cities, with 13 citations either not stating a city or covering multiple cities, across 5 continents. The highest proportion of publications were from North America (59 / 96) and in particular the USA (56/96) and New York City (23/96). Primary outcome indicators were only stated in one quarter of the identified studies (24/96). Overall, there was heterogeneity of study design, descriptive methodologies and publication types, with a majority being descriptive texts using qualitative instruments of assessment.

INTERPRETATION

Multi-level and multi-component interventions, at the individual, community and city level, done in concert, are needed to address obesity. A composite of interventions that cities can utilise to address obesity is provided. These interventions will also be beneficial to the environment and make the case that personal health and planetary health are inextricably linked and should be considered as one.

FUNDING

None.

The Impact of the Great Recession on Diabetes Management in a High-Risk Population

This study examined the effects of the Great Recession (GR) on type 2 diabetes management using individual-level data in a historically underserved, high-risk patient population at a federally qualified health center (FQHC). Comparing three time periods (pre-recession [2004-2006], recession [2007-2009], and recession recovery [2010-2012]), we found that patients had significant increases in blood pressure and body mass index as they entered the GR. Conversely, we found a significant decrease in HbA1c across the study period likely influenced by interventions to improve HbA1c during this time at this FQHC. While previous studies on the impact of the GR have focused primarily on the middle class, our findings suggest that high-risk patients who are already struggling to maintain their health may be further hurt by economic downturns. Intensive programs to serve these patients can act as a safety net to buffer the potential health impacts of these downturns.

Weight Management Interventions for Adults With Overweight or Obesity: An Evidence Analysis Center Scoping Review

The objectives of this evidence scoping review were to identify and characterize studies investigating weight management interventions provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist or international equivalent (RDN) among adults with overweight or obesity. A medical librarian conducted an electronic literature search in 6 databases-MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PyscINFO (Ovid), Cochrane CENTRAL (Ovid), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Ovid), and CINAHL (Ebsco). Except for narrative review, gray literature, and case study or report, all types of peer-reviewed articles published between January 2008 and April 26, 2019 were eligible. Two content advisors, who are experts in adult weight management, guided the process and reviewed the search plan and findings. The literature search resulted in 30,551 records with 16 additional records identified through other sources. A total of 29,756 records were excluded during the first round of screening due to duplication or irrelevancy. Of the 811 full-text articles that were screened, 139 met the criteria and were included. Approximately 51% and 43% of the studies were conducted in the community setting and in the United States or Canada, respectively. Over 97% of the studies were clinical or quasi-experimental trials. A total of 6 different intervention delivery modes were reported, which resulted in 22 combinations of the modes of delivery. RDNs delivered the weight management intervention (especially the nutrition component) in all studies, but some (61%) also involved an interdisciplinary team to deliver other components of the intervention. The average length of the intervention was about 10 months with a follow-up that ranged from 0 to 9 years. The commonly reported outcomes were anthropometrics, endocrine, and cardiovascular measures; dietary intake; and physical activity. Based on the scoping review, there were systematic reviews and evidence-based practice guidelines on weight management interventions but none of them met the a priori inclusion or exclusion criteria. Therefore, it would be beneficial to conduct a systematic review and develop an evidence-based practice guideline on adult weight management interventions provided by an RDN to guide practitioners and to evaluate their effects on health and nutrition-related outcomes.

Neighborhood Influences on Physical Activity Among Low-Income African American Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to explore the influences of the neighborhood environment on physical activity (PA) among people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a community with limited resources.

METHODS

Participants were adults with T2DM and their family members or friends who help in the management of T2DM and who were living in a low-income African American (AA) community. Health care providers working in the neighborhood were also included. Using an emergent design, qualitative data were collected through 7 focus group discussions (N = 63) and 13 in-depth interviews. Verbatim transcriptions were analyzed via thematic coding to explore contextual factors that limit PA and meaning around neighborhood features that promote or discourage PA.

RESULTS

Levels of PA were strongly limited by neighborhood insecurity and a lack of recreational facilities in the neighborhood. People with T2DM and physical/mobility disabilities were more affected by the neighborhood environment than those without disabilities, particularly due to perceived safety concerns and social stigma. Despite socioeconomic inequalities within neighborhoods, participants showed resilience and made efforts to overcome social-environmental barriers to PA, applied various coping strategies, and received social support.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggested that in an underserved neighborhood, individual barriers to physical activity were amplified by neighborhood-level factors such as crime, especially among individuals who have T2DM and disabilities. Socioeconomic inequalities should be addressed further to improve management of T2DM and its complications.

Geospatial Monitoring of Body Mass Index: Use of Electronic Health Record Data Across Health Care Systems

OBJECTIVES

The Colorado BMI Monitoring System was developed to assess geographic (ie, census tract) patterns of obesity prevalence rates among children and adults in the Denver-metropolitan region. This project also sought to assess the feasibility of a surveillance system that integrates data across multiple health care and governmental organizations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We extracted data on height and weight measures, obtained through routine clinical care, from electronic health records (EHRs) at multiple health care sites. We selected sites from 5 Denver health care systems and collected data from visits that occurred between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015. We produced shaded maps showing observed obesity prevalence rates by census tract for various geographic regions across the Denver-metropolitan region.

RESULTS

We identified clearly distinguishable areas by higher rates of obesity among children than among adults, with several pockets of lower body mass index. Patterns for adults were similar to patterns for children: the highest obesity prevalence rates were concentrated around the central part of the metropolitan region. Obesity prevalence rates were moderately higher along the western and northern areas than in other parts of the study region.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The Colorado BMI Monitoring System demonstrates the feasibility of combining EHRs across multiple systems for public health and research. Challenges include ensuring de-duplication across organizations and ensuring that geocoding is performed in a consistent way that does not pose a risk for patient privacy.

Bridging Gaps and Understanding Disparities in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus to Improve Perinatal Outcomes

IN BRIEF For a woman who is facing financial, cultural, psychological, or social challenges, discovering that she has gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) represents a significant burden. By better understanding challenges underserved women with GDM face, multidisciplinary clinical teams can make essential changes in health care delivery to optimize outcomes not just during pregnancy, but also, equally importantly, beyond pregnancy to prevent long-term disease.

Impact of Game-Based Health Promotion Programs on Body Mass Index in Overweight/Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND

Sedentary lifestyle is growing among children and adolescents that may contribute to problems such as overweight and obesity. Consequently, interventions to improve weight loss in this population are necessary. The aim of this current review was to evaluate the effectiveness of game-based interventions to reduce body mass index (BMI) among children who were overweight or obese.

METHODS

All randomized controlled trials with a game-based approach for lowering weight in obese/overweight youths aged 5-18 years old were identified from January 2005 to June 2017 across PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Two independent reviewers completed data extraction sheets on information such as sample size, country of origin, age of participants, type of interventions, and BMI change from pre- to posttest. A consensus on collected data was obtained, and a final list of studies meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria was arrived at. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software, and effect size was measured by standardized mean difference (SMD) and Hedges' g measure. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also examined using I² index and funnel plot.

RESULTS

A total of 388 articles were identified from electronic and manuals' searches. After deletion of duplicated articles, 138 articles remained that were then screened in terms of relevance. Of those, 41 articles were examined to determine eligibility. Finally, 10 articles met inclusion/exclusion criteria and were entered into the quantitative meta-analysis. Results indicated a small but significant effect size in terms of BMI reduction [SMD, -0.234; standard error (SE), 0.069] among included studies. The average BMI z-score reduction was -0.181 (SE, 0.071). Trials which used other types of interventions along with active game-based approaches achieved greater effect sizes than single game-based interventions. There was a significant difference between studies based on their country of origin, BMI value, and intervention type. Those conducted in United States, those including participants with BMI ≥30, and studies with multicomponent intervention reported a higher reduction of BMI than others. However, no significant difference in BMI was found in terms of variables such as age, sample size, type of participant (overweight/obese), intervention duration, or participant gender. No publication bias was identified, and studies were homogenous (I² = 22.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions that involve active gaming may produce small effects in terms of improving BMI among children who are overweight/obese. Therefore, we recommend that supplemental interventions be used to enhance the effectiveness of game-based interventions.

Some Socioeconomic Factors and Lifestyle Habits Influencing the Prevalence of Obesity among Adolescent Male Students in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the effect of some socioeconomic factors and lifestyle habits on the prevalence of obesity among adolescent male students in the Hail region, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was filled by 1495 male adolescents distributed among 12 schools in the Hail region. Body weight and height were taken, and the Z-score of students was measured using Anthroplus software with a cutoff 1–2 and +2 standard deviations to determine overweight and obesity, respectively. The study revealed that 21.3% of students were overweight and 27% were obese, respectively. There was a negative association between family size of >8 and obesity (OR: 0.68, CI: 0.48–0.92, p = 0.05). Family income of <5000 SR was negatively associated with obesity (OR: 0.59, CI: 0.36–0.97, p = 0.03). Whether a subject’s mother worked (odds ratio (OR): 1.43, confidence interval CI: 1.03–1.99, p = 0.03) as well as the subject’s mother’s education—whether she can read and write, has a middle school degree, or has done postsecondary studies—were positively associated with obesity. Exercise, regardless of the duration, was negatively associated with obesity. In addition, sleeping <6 h/day had a positive association with obesity. Conclusion: a >8 family size and a low family income were negatively associated with obesity, while having an educated and working mother was positively associated with obesity.

Reflections on 15 Years in the Global Tobacco Trenches

This paper is based on my 2017 Research Laureate Presentation at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Health Behavior in Tucson, Arizona. It provides a brief overview of the history of the smoking epidemic, and describes my work in global tobacco control, focusing on my experiences over the last 15 years as a co-founder and intervention director of the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies (SCTS) in Aleppo, Syria. The SCTS is an NIH-funded research center that draws on a broad range of complementary expertise and resources from developed and developing nations to address the tobacco epidemic in the Arab World. The SCTS strives to serve as a model of scientific excellence and commitment to the health of people in the Middle East and beyond. Major research streams using qualitative, epidemiological, clinical lab, and intervention methodologies are reviewed, along with some of the successes and challenges encountered since the SCTS's founding.