# Diabetes Self-Management Intervention for African American Men

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $195,000

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Black men are more likely to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to non-Hispanic White
men. Black men with T2D also experience suboptimal glycemic control compared to non-Hispanic White
men, resulting in a higher risk for complications associated with T2D. A growing body of literature
demonstrates the critical role of gender in the management of health behaviors for chronic conditions
such as T2D; male gender norms can negatively impact implementing healthy behaviors. Broader
literature demonstrates that gender-based beliefs, like maintaining a strong image to the outside world,
impede engaging in healthy behaviors. These studies suggest that tailoring T2D self-management
interventions to address the needs of Black men may be critical to helping them to achieve optimal health
outcomes. Peer leaders are trained lay individuals who provide ongoing T2D self-management support to
people with T2D, particularly in minority communities. Despite studies showing that T2D management
interventions using peer leaders have been successful, the majority of peer leaders and participants in
those studies are women. The limited studies to date suggest that Black men with T2D prefer peer-led,
male-to-male T2D programs; however, this research consists primarily of nonrandomized, small sample
feasibility studies focused on disease prevention and screening. The proposed study will develop and
preliminarily validate the effectiveness of an adapted Peer Leader Diabetes Self-Management Support
(PLDSMS) intervention designed to improve diabetes-related self-management behaviors in Black men
with T2D. The proposed study includes a developmental phase (development of the intervention with
expert feedback, followed by feasibility testing with Black men) and a pilot validation phase. This study
aims to 1) tailor existing PLDSMS interventions by consulting Black male peers with T2D in 2 focus
groups and modifying the peer leader training content to focus on material appropriate for men using Self-
Determination theory, Autonomy Support and the Empowerment Approach as guiding frameworks, and 2) to
conduct a pilot validation phase [pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT)] to evaluate participant recruitment
and retention rates, treatment and intervention satisfaction, and estimate intervention effect sizes on our
primary outcomes (self-management behaviors and glycemic control [HbA1c]) as well as on secondary
outcomes in a 36-week RCT with a repeated measures design. Participants (n=60) will be randomized into the
adapted PLDSMS intervention group or Enhanced Usual Care group. If successful, this study will lead to the
development of an R01 intervention that will address the unique needs of Black men with T2D, helping
them to achieve optimal T2D self-management and health outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10218306
- **Project number:** 1R21DK117339-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Jaclynn Marie Hawkins
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $195,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10218306

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10218306, Diabetes Self-Management Intervention for African American Men (1R21DK117339-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10218306. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*