Abstract 17519: Virtual Environment for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support: Preliminary RCT Outcomes

Introduction: Internet interventions are vital to reaching the growing population with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Based on our promising pilot study, we are conducting an RCT to test the efficacy of this virtual environment (LIVE) as compared to a traditional website format for providing education and support. The LIVE community is a gaming platform for adults with type 2 diabetes. Platform functionality allows for group information sharing and social networking, individual learning and behavior modification strategies. Participants attend synchronous diabetes education classes with educators and peers in the site; play games based on diabetes knowledge and scenarios; or visit locations (i.e., grocery store, bookstore) for advice and information to support adult learning and health behaviors. Results: 208 participants enrolled with mean age of 59 and diabetes duration of 10.9 years; 38% male; 56.5% White. Outcomes at six months reveal significant improvement in self-report physical activity (est 0.28;p=0.0...