Digital team support to help adults with type 2 diabetes be more active
Using Existing Social Ties to Promote Physical Activity: Effects of Digitally Delivered Team Social Support Training
This project explores whether short online training for friends and family, plus a mobile app and Fitbit, helps adults with type 2 diabetes keep up regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Carolina at Columbia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11248832 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You and a small team of 3–8 people who are not very active would join a randomized program run by the University of South Carolina. About 60 teams (roughly 300 adults) will be randomized to get a 3-month mobile-friendly program with behavior-change content, tailored goals, feedback, and a Fitbit, or that same program plus extra digital training to help your existing social ties provide effective support. Activity will be tracked objectively with wearable devices and accelerometer-based measurements to see whether teams with social-support training maintain higher physical activity over time. The study focuses on adults with adult-onset (type 2) diabetes who want to try increasing their activity with friends or family.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults (21+) with adult-onset/type 2 diabetes who are currently insufficiently active, willing to join a small team, and able to use a Fitbit and a mobile-compatible web app.
Not a fit: People who are already regularly active, who cannot or will not use wearable tech or smartphone/web tools, or who lack willing social ties to form a team may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help adults with type 2 diabetes sustain higher levels of physical activity through support from people they already know.
How similar studies have performed: Previous programs often increased activity in the short term but struggled with long-term maintenance, and using structured training for existing social ties delivered digitally is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Columbia, United States
- University of South Carolina at Columbia — Columbia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Monroe, Courtney — University of South Carolina at Columbia
- Study coordinator: Monroe, Courtney
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.