# Automated system for risk determinantion, facilitation and community support to mitigate social determinants of health in minority populations

> **NIH NIH R43** · VIORA HEALTH INC · 2021 · $256,591

## Abstract

Abstract
Vulnerable and underserved populations such as ethnic and racial minorities, the poor, the LGBTQ community
and those with physical or intellectual disabilities, often suffer the greatest health risks while facing significant
barriers to receiving healthcare. While biological and clinical risks influence outcomes, sociocultural and
socioeconomic factors also create major barriers to receiving healthcare services, at an individual, community
and population level for these populations. These social determinants of health (SDOH), such as transportation,
literacy, and finances can severely limit participation in health programs designed for the general population.
Diabetes Prevention Programs are a good example of a lifestyle change protocol that is proven to reduce the
risk of type 2 diabetes by half for pre-diabetics patients at risk by encouraging weight-loss. But, despite the
effectiveness of the program, more than 50% of participants drop out before completing this year-long lifestyle
change program, severely limiting the program’s success. This is in part due to the fact that programs like DPP
take little account of the limitations faced by underserved and vulnerable populations that it is meant to help.
This lack of support at the individual and community level combined with the fact that healthcare institutions are
not designed for, nor economical, in supporting patient health outside the medical facility where it is most needed.
This creates a gap in healthcare service that current systems cannot overcome.
Viora is closing this health services gap with a system that interfaces between the health care system, the
underserved patient, and underutilized community-based resources and providers, to facilitate better outcomes
in programs like DPP. By using risk stratification based on SDOH factors, each DPP participant can have tailored
interventions that consider their socioeconomic and sociocultural characteristics. The Viora Health system
connects patients to local resources using simple communication between the patient, health providers, and
community services, facilitating patient completion of the DPP program, thereby improving health outcomes. In
Phase I, Viora will evaluate a larger set of pre-diabetes and SDOH risk factors across 5000 minority and
underserved subjects to select the most relevant variables for risk assessment and personal prevention plan
development. The system will automatically screen pre-diabetic participants who are eligible, ready and able to
adhere to DPP, and will create a personalized intervention plan that is the most impactful in reducing their risk
but is also doable. The system’s communication network will be expanded to provide direct communication
between the patient, DPP coach, health providers and community resources, to support the participant toward
maintaining their DPP goals. Finally, the project will assess the basic function of the system, preferences and
human interaction in a human subject ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10325657
- **Project number:** 1R43MD015981-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** VIORA HEALTH INC
- **Principal Investigator:** Deboleena Dutta
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $256,591
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-22 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10325657

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10325657, Automated system for risk determinantion, facilitation and community support to mitigate social determinants of health in minority populations (1R43MD015981-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10325657. Licensed CC0.

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