Retrospective Evaluation of an Online Diabetes Health Coaching Program: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Metabolic Diseases
• Digital Health

Background:

• Prediabetes affects one-third of US adults, with over 30 million having type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Health and wellness coaching is an emerging strategy for chronic disease prevention and management.
• The Mastering Diabetes (MD) program utilizes a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet combined with online support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness of the Mastering Diabetes (MD) online health and wellness coaching program in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• To assess changes in weight, HbA1c, medication use, and overall health among MD program participants.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective pilot study involving a survey of current and former clients of the Mastering Diabetes program.
• Participants completed an online REDCap-based survey assessing demographic information, enrollment dates, and changes in weight, HbA1c, medication use, overall health, and adherence.
• A total of 253 participants (8.9% response rate) completed the survey.

Main Results:

• The majority of respondents (78.4%) reported weight loss, and 68.8% reported decreased HbA1c levels (both P < .001).
• Over half of participants (52.4%) reported reduced medication use.
• A significant majority (86.8%) reported continued health improvement, and 83.5% found the online program very helpful.

Conclusions:

• The online health and wellness coaching program demonstrated improvements in HbA1c and weight among participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• The study suggests the potential of digital health interventions for diabetes management.
• Further prospective research is necessary to draw generalizable conclusions due to study limitations.