? The association between obesity and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus is well documented from physiological and epidemiological studies. As overweight is on the rise in the pediatric population due to high fat, low fiber diets and decreased physical activity, type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent in young people, especially among minority youth. As shown in the adult Diabetes Prevention Program, healthy nutrition and exercise habits and weight loss can effectively decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. In pediatrics, programs to modify nutrition and lifestyle habits in order to decrease overweight have been shown to work best when they involve children and parents (or grandparents) together. These interventions need to be culturally and age appropriate. The proposed REACH-OUT Chicago Children's Diabetes Prevention Project is a community-based, family-oriented health program, grounded in behavioral theory and supported by empirical data, to decrease overweight and risk of type 2 diabetes in young people from the high risk, mainly African American population served by and surrounding The University of Chicago. The intervention was developed and pilot tested using insights from formative research within this community, so as to be culturally appropriate.
Our specific aims are: (1) To test a culturally sensitive, community-based, family oriented intervention to decrease obesity and risk of type 2 diabetes in a high risk inner-city African American population using outcomes that measure body habitus, biochemical markers of insulin sensitivity, and measures of lifestyle habits, and (2) To evaluate the within-trial cost-effectiveness of this program, from the health system perspective. This program of translational research is designed through multidisciplinary collaboration within The University of Chicago and within the community we serve and is designed to address the needs of children and families within the cultural context of our community. ? ?
