BGAT (Blood Glucose Awareness Training) for Users Who Might Become Pregnant

Summary

Ineffective management of blood glucose (BG) levels during preconception and pregnancy has been associated with severe maternal and fetal complications in women with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Preconception care emphasizing stringent glycemic control in the preconception period and continued through early pregnancy can dramatically reduce these risks. However, the use of preconception care in the US has been disappointingly low due to a variety of organizational, provider, and patient centered factors. Furthermore, efforts to achieve tight glycemic control can increase the risk of severe hypoglycemia (SH) in T1DM women, potentially leading to serious health consequences. In this project, the investigators will test an education based Internet intervention (Bump2be or Blood glucose awareness training (BGAT) for users who might become pregnant) for use with T1DM women who are either actively trying to become pregnant (TP) or planning to become pregnant in the 12 months following their enrollment in this study (PP).

The main objective is to examine Bump2be's feasibility and preliminary efficacy as an intervention for these women to better regulate their BG levels and to meet their diabetes-related clinical targets for pregnancy. More specifically, Bump2be will be tested in a randomized clinical trial in which 58 T1DM women who are either TP or PP will be recruited. As part of this pre-post study design, participants will be randomly assigned to either the Bump2be intervention (n=29) or the routine care group (n=29). Data collected will include frequency of extreme BG, consequences of extreme BG, average BG levels (HbA1c level), estimation of BG, detection of low and high BG, and psychological functioning (including fear of hypoglycemia, avoidance of hyperglycemia, well-being, and internal locus of control). Interviews with up to 10 trial participants will be conducted at the conclusion of their study participation, to enable further optimization of the intervention in preparation for a subsequent R01 submission. This will be the first study investigating the use of the Internet to improve detection and management of extreme BG levels in Diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM) women who are either TP or PP.

Conditions

• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
• Pregnancy

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Bump2be

Bump2be is an internet intervention focusing on six topics (called cores) psycho-educational in nature with the goals of improving individuals' ability to: a) anticipate extreme BG levels, b) detect the presence of extreme BG levels, c) address current extreme BG levels, and d) prevent future extreme BG levels. The program includes didactic information, self-assessment tools, and active learning exercises.

OTHER

Routine Care

Participants will continue to receive care from their clinician.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Virginia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Lee M Ritterband, PhD · University of Virginia Behavioral Health & Technology Laboratory

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

64 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-07-31

Primary Completion

2016-09-30

Completion

2016-10-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations