Einstein’s Gutman Diabetes Institute Awarded Research Grant
Philadelphia, PA, May 15, 2008 – The Gutman Diabetes Institute at Albert Einstein Healthcare Network has been awarded a one-year, $15,000 research grant
to determine the impact of a ten-month self-management support group on the health status of people with diabetes. The grant
is part of an Einstein-funded effort to promote community-focused research pertaining to diabetes prevention and promotion
of quality of life for those living with diabetes The principal investigator of the study is Nadine Uplinger, MS, RD, CDE, Director of the Gutman Diabetes Institute. The co-principal investigator is Tina Harralson, PhD, Senior Scientist with Einstein’s Center for Urban Health Policy and Research.
The study will compare one group of participants who attend Diabetes Self Management Education classes at St. Luke’s Episcopal
Church in Germantown along with ten months of Diabetes Self-Management Support group meetings, to a control group of participants
who attend the Diabetes Self Management Education classes but not the support group meetings. The St. Luke’s group will consist
of church members as well as Germantown residents. The control group will attend classes at Einstein’s Gutman Diabetes Institute
located at the medical center, but will not have the benefit of support group meetings.
At the end of the ten months, outcomes between the two groups will be compared, including abdominal obesity, weight, body/mass
index, and psychosocial measures such as how well participants cope with living with the disease.
Another goal is for the information gained from the study to be used to develop a diabetes support group manual geared for
the African American community.
The support group, led by a certified diabetes educator, will meet every other week and will give participants an opportunity
to discuss barriers to managing their diabetes, problem solving strategies, food preparation techniques, and more. Each participant
will choose two behavior goals that will assist them in achieving improved diabetes management. Participants will keep a weekly
food/physical activity diary which will be reviewed, and recommendations will be made to help participants meet their goals.
“We recognize the importance of providing ongoing support for people living with diabetes, and we are very excited that Einstein
Medical Center intends to partner with St.Luke’s to establish a diabetes support group for members of the community,” says
Nadine Uplinger.
The importance of Diabetes Self-Management Education has been well documented in the medical literature. This education consists
of teaching people how to manage their diet to improve weight and glucose control, incorporate physical activity into their
life, perform blood glucose monitoring, manage medications, manage stress and reduce complications by appropriate foot and
skin care.
Current approaches to Diabetes Self-Management Education focus on short-term programs with little or no follow-up support.
While this is an effective way to provide basic information to people living with diabetes, it may fall short in helping people
manage this chronic disease over their lifetime. Ongoing support is necessary for patients to sustain the improvements gained
from the education they receive. The aim of the study is to confirm or dispute this premise.
CONTACT: Judy Horwitz
Communications Specialist
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
215-456-6767
horwitzj@einstein.edu
Publish date: May 15, 2008
