What do primary care prediabetes patients need? A baseline assessment of patients engaging in a technology-enhanced lifestyle intervention.

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the baseline knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of prediabetes patients in order to tailor a new technology-enhanced primary care-based lifestyle modification intervention.

Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of prediabetes were enrolled in a randomized, controlled pilot study, Avoiding Diabetes Thru Action Plan Targeting (ADAPT), a technology-based intervention to promote action plan discussions around patient-selected behavior change goals.

Results: A total of 54 adults (82% female) were enrolled in the pilot study. Most (89%) had comorbid conditions and mean BMI was 36. Participants exhibited high risk of diabetes knowledge (knowledge score 20 on a 32 point scale) and high levels of willingness to make changes to decrease diabetes risk. Number of daily steps was inversely correlated with perceived physical activity (r=-0.35082, p<0.001). Poorer scores on diet quality were inversely correlated with BMI.

Conclusion: Participants in this sample demonstrated requisite levels of knowledge, self-efficacy, motivation and risk perception for effective behavior change. These data suggest that primary care-based prediabetes interventions can move beyond educational goals and focus on enhancing patients' ability to select, plan and enact action plans.