# Optimizing diabetes technology use for Latinx youth through DREAM (Device use Reimagined through Education And Mentorship) virtual peer groups

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2022 · $374,809

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Strict glycemic control is critical for optimal type 1 diabetes (T1D) outcomes but remains challenging for youth
from historically marginalized ethnic groups, in whom hemoglobin A1c (A1c) levels are consistently the highest
in the nation. In California, Latinx youth are the largest marginalized ethnic group with T1D, but they
experience less optimal glycemic control than their White counterparts. Continuous glucose monitoring, insulin
pumps, and automated insulin delivery systems can assist with achievement of target A1c levels, but Latinx
youth have lower rates of diabetes device use compared to White youth. Virtual peer groups (VPGs) can
improve patient engagement and diabetes self-care in Latinx youth, and preliminary data suggest that VPGs
may increase the use of diabetes technology in this population. Jenise Wong, MD PhD, and Jennifer
Raymond, MD MCR, propose this project grant with the objective to increase the adoption and sustained use
of diabetes devices in Latinx adolescents with T1D by engaging them and their families in the development
and evaluation of a VPG intervention designed to improve technology use. This project will engage multiple
stakeholders (patients, families, health care workers) from three clinic populations in California (Children’s
Hospital of Los Angeles, University of California Davis, and University of California San Francisco) and result in
the DREAM (Device use Reimagined through Education And Mentorship) program. In collaboration with a
multidisciplinary team of pediatric endocrinologists, psychologists, and public health experts, the researchers
propose a project with the following aims: (1) partner with stakeholders to adapt a virtual peer group model to
promote the initiation and continued use of diabetes technology among Latinx adolescents with T1D, (2)
evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of DREAM in a pilot randomized controlled trial, and (3) assess the
effect of DREAM on clinical and patient-centered outcomes. These aims will be addressed in a formative
phase and a clinical trial phase. In Phase 1, the research team will address Aim 1 by engaging stakeholders in
focus groups and semi-structured interviews to obtain qualitative data that will directly inform the design of the
DREAM VPGs and the clinical trial. A subset of stakeholders will form Advisory Councils who will provide
longitudinal input during the clinical trial. In Phase 2, the research team will conduct a pilot randomized clinical
trial of the DREAM intervention in 120 Latinx youth aged 13 to <18 years with T1D, recruited from three
pediatric diabetes clinic populations in California. To address Aim 2, the researchers will collect qualitative
feedback from focus groups and quantitative data on VPG feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability as
primary outcomes. Preliminary data on clinical outcomes of A1c and hospital utilization, and patient-centered
outcomes will be assessed to address Aim 3. The results ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10583855
- **Project number:** 1R01DK135000-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer K Raymond
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $374,809
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-22 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10583855

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10583855, Optimizing diabetes technology use for Latinx youth through DREAM (Device use Reimagined through Education And Mentorship) virtual peer groups (1R01DK135000-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10583855. Licensed CC0.

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