Date of Award

Spring 5-23-2015

Document Type

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscript

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Kathy James, DNSc, APRN, FAAN, Faculty Chairperson, Seminar Faculty

Abstract

Background and Purpose: In the United States, 79 million people are pre-diabetic: most have no symptoms. If left untreated, 37% will develop diabetes within 4 years. Fourteen percent of United States health care expenditures are related to diabetic complications. This Evidenced Based Project (EBP) involved a behavioral lifestyle change with the purpose of 7% weight loss and a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity a week. It was also designed to reduce risk factors and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HgA1c) levels.

Methods: The interventional approach was modeled after the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and Group Lifestyle Balance Program. Participants were identified based on high risk factors and HgA1c levels. Bi-monthly meetings were conducted over 12 weeks. Participant education and monitoring of weight loss and activity level were provided.

Conclusion: Changing a person’s behavior is complex and multi-factorial. Although participants had a significant increase in healthy behavior modifications, knowledge, awareness, and activity, they were unsuccessful in reducing HgA1c levels in this particular study.

Implications for practice: Reducing high risk and pre-diabetic populations may lower health costs, provide a healthier patient population, and decreased cardiovascular incidents related to diabetes. Findings could be used in conjunction with decreasing the rates of metabolic syndrome.

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