Goals

The overall goal of this research program is to identify evidence-based strategies for diabetes prevention and management, including interventions for obesity and weight management. Much of the work focuses on developing and testing interventions to promote health equity in areas related to diabetes and obesity, including studies that examine and address the impact of suboptimal social determinants of health. Intervention stargeting multiple levels of influence, such as individual, family, health system, and community are addressed. Preventive Medicine faculty are also integrally involved in leading translational This program area also is focused on studying the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based strategies in clinical and community settings. Preventive Medicine faculty also are integrally involved in leading translational diabetes and obesity intervention research within the Diabetes Research Center (DRC) and the Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC).

Current Projects

Current research projects include several community-based and clinic-based studies that employ community health worker models, as well as behavioral trials for weight management. Current projects include behavioral intervention studies for weight loss, weight loss maintenance, and diabetes prevention that are 1) focused on racial/ethnic minorities, 2) implemented in primary care, 3) utilize community health workers and other peer coaches for intervention delivery, and/or 4) leverage low-intensity, pragmatic approaches and digital platforms for intervention delivery (e.g., daily self-weighing via wireless scales). Many interventions focus on patients’ behavior change as well as clinicians’ care of patients and clinical practice organization. This work largely targets priority populations experiencing diabetes-related health disparities, including racial/ethnic minorities. This work is conducted in underserved urban and rural areas throughout Alabama.