VAPrevention
Full Title
Randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of a person-centred digital intervention to prevent diabetes in high-risk adultsDescription
When analysing the state of the art of digital Diabetes Prevention Interventions (DPIs), three critical knowledge gaps are identified: on the effectiveness of automated virtual human coaches (VHC) for diabetes prevention; on the lack of implementation data of digital DPIs; and the fact that there is a scarcity of cost-effectiveness evaluation of digital DPIs.
VA|PREVENTION addresses the scientific challenge of preventing T2D and these 3 critical knowledge gaps, relevant nationally and internationally, by:
• Developing a digital DPI via a VHC, from previous consortium work.
• Evaluating its effectiveness and implementation, via a well-powered hybrid effectiveness-implementation RCT and qualitative research, drawing on experience in prior projects.
• Evaluating cost-effectiveness resorting to economic evaluation skills in preventive interventions.
The VA|PREVENTION web app will target 2 core behaviours in T2D prevention – diet and physical activity. It will be composed of a VHC, designed to simulate face-to-face behaviour change support, and a dashboard, displaying features associated with positive effect in digital DPIs. Primary users (persons with high risk of T2D) will be given the choice to share the dashboard with health professionals and their network, such as relatives (secondary users).