Lifestyle Behaviour Change in People with Type II Diabetes
Mary Shone March 08
GPs in this division are asked by researchers at the University of Ballarat to help recruit participants in research into the prevention of depression.
The researchers are seeking adults with Type II Diabetes living or working in the Ballarat region. Participation will be neither intrusive nor onerous.
The study will investigate the effectiveness of a phone-based intervention for the prevention of depression in people with Type II diabetes and whether this has the potential to improve their diabetes status. The study is supported and funded by Beyondblue.
Background
There is strong evidence of interrelationships between lifestyle factors, chronic illness and depression. The study aims to see whether adopting health promoting behaviours might reduce the risk of depression associated with chronic illness. It is noted that successful chronic illness management involves individual behaviour change and self-management.
Intervention
The proposed study will utilise a protocol adapted from the Health Psychology Model of Health Coaching (AHC). It is an Australian model incorporating motivational interviewing. This has been demonstrated to be an effective psychological intervention that enhances intrinsic motivation towards positive behaviour change. Phone-based interventions are cost effective and indicate a promising modality of treatment delivery for rural populations. In addition the phone-based intervention might be more appealing to those resistant to any form of traditional counselling interventions. The findings of the study could also have major implications for the future cost-effective prevention of depression associated with chronic illness.
Participants
The study will involve the recruitment of 200 adults diagnosed with Type II diabetes. Participant involvement will include pre- and post-testing on psychological, demographic and physical variables with assessments repeated at six and twelve months. Participants will also be asked to complete a daily activity diary for a period of 12 weeks. The study methodology includes an intervention group and a control group.
Recruitment
The researchers are currently recruiting participants through the media and with the assistance of health professionals working with Type II diabetes patients. Recruitment will occur over the coming weeks. If you are interesting in being involved in recruitment for the study, or would like more information please contact:
- Denise Corboy, Project Officer,Centre for Health Research & Practice, University of Ballarat, Tel: 5327 9516
- Dr Mirella Di Benedetto, MAPS, School of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Ballarat, Tel: 5327 9744
This article is available online at http://bddgp.org.au/article/2008/03/diabetes-study
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