The investigators will implement a randomized trial that will enroll 286 participants, from three different sites, to compare a CHW intervention consisting of home visits, telephone support, and linkage to appropriate community-based group activities compared to usual care. Usual care is defined as the medical care received by participants in the absence of the intervention plus information about community resources that support diabetes self-management (such as classes and support groups) plus educational pamphlets. The investigators will randomize an equal number of participants to the intervention and control groups.
After collecting baseline data, we will assign participants to study groups using a stratified, permuted block design with varying block size. The investigators will stratify by site to ensure an approximately equal number of treatment and control subjects at each site and also meet the site-specific recruitment targets. The nature of the intervention makes it impossible to blind participants and staff to group assignment.
CHWs will primarily work with participants in their homes, and will also link them to community resources that support self-management. CHWs will make up to 5 home visits for each participant in the intervention arm. To assure that the program is feasible to implement in a variety of clinical settings, to assure external validity of the study, and to assess potential for adoption, the CHWs will be based at the local public health department and participants will be recruited from a county hospital system, a community clinic and a Veteran Affairs (VA) hospital.
Specific aims of the proposal are to examine the effect of the intervention on physiologic markers of disease control (HbA1c, lipids, blood pressure), participant self-efficacy, self-management behaviors quality of life and utilization and costs. The investigators will measure other demographic, medical and psychosocial patient level characteristics that could potentially modify the effects of the intervention. At the end of the study period, CHWs will visit usual care participants so that they receive many of the potential benefits received by intervention group members.
The investigators will use mixed methods to assess translation of the research models into practice.
