# SmartStart: A digitally-enhanced diabetes self-management intervention for low-income people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

> **NIH NIH K99** · ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS · 2024 · $110,703

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an important public health challenge associated with significant morbidity, mortality,
and increased healthcare costs. Low-income populations are 2.5 times more likely to have T2D and experience a
disproportionate burden of poor health outcomes. Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES)
is an evidence-based program recommended for every person newly diagnosed with T2D with proven efficacy
for improving health behaviors and outcomes. However, <5% of low-income individuals with T2D engage in
DSMES within the first year of diagnosis, further exacerbating disparities. Multilevel and multidimensional
barriers contribute to DSMES underutilization in this high-risk population, and these must be considered in
order to promote health equity. Digital health interventions show promise for increasing access, uptake, and
relevance of health promotion interventions among underserved communities where the ubiquitous nature of
cell phones can also be leveraged to enhance engagement. To our knowledge, there are no digital health
interventions tailored to low-income people newly diagnosed with T2D in the US. The first year of diagnosis is a
critical window for establishing and sustaining self-management behaviors that promote health across the
lifespan. This K99/R00 proposal is guided by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Research Framework to support research, mentorship, training, and community-engagement activities that will
foster the growth and trajectory of an early-stage health equity scholar focused on improving T2D-related health
among low-income populations. The K99 research goal is to co-create a user-informed, digitally enhanced
DSMES tailored to the education and support needs of low-income adults newly diagnosed with T2D. The R00
research goal is to establish the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the intervention in a Federally
Qualified Community Health Center on engagement in DSMES, changes in self-management behaviors, and
improvements in health outcomes (A1c, weight, and quality of life). The proposed research sets the stage for a
full-scale R01 that will test the efficacy of the digitally enhanced DSMES intervention to improve health outcomes
among low-income patients newly diagnosed with T2D. The PI has established a transdisciplinary mentorship
team of NIH-funded health disparity scholars and a comprehensive training plan guided by an individual
development plan to expand her skills, knowledge, and professional network to support a career focused on
advancing health equity through accessible, sustainable, and scalable system-level interventions for underserved
populations. The applicant’s long-term goal is to become an independent, NIH-funded scientist with a research
program focused on developing and implementing community-informed, culturally- and contextually relevant
interventions that improve diabetes-related health outcomes a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10948735
- **Project number:** 1K99MD019726-01
- **Recipient organization:** ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Eyitayo Omolara Owolabi
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $110,703
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-19 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10948735

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10948735, SmartStart: A digitally-enhanced diabetes self-management intervention for low-income people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (1K99MD019726-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10948735. Licensed CC0.

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