New T-UP: Engaging Vulnerable Students in Diabetes Prevention

The goal of this study is to enhance reach and uptake of diabetes prevention among young adults, with a focus on recruiting underserved and high-need students who face additional challenges, including food and financial insecurity. The specific aims are: Aim 1 - Evaluate the efficacy of an AYA-tailored version of the UC DPP for mitigating type 2 diabetes risk (i.e., weight change) in a pre/post pilot trial. The investigators hypothesize that the AYA-tailored intervention will be effective at producing 5% weight loss from baseline to program completion (at 9-months). Aim 2 - Assess the feasibility and acceptability of an AYA-tailored version of the UC DPP program. The investigators hypothesize that it will be feasible to recruit the desired number of participants given proposed innovative outreach strategies, and that the AYA-tailored intervention will be deemed acceptable to participants both qualitatively and in regards to their retention in the program at rates similar to the larger UC DPP. The investigators will recruit 80 UCLA undergraduate students. Participants will be asked to complete a brief screening online form to assess eligibility and to collect contact information. The PI and/or Research Assistants (RAs) will reach out to eligible participants to obtain informed consent and enroll them in the pilot trial. The investigators will randomize participants to the tailored DPP cohort vs control cohort. Control participants will be offered the opportunity to participate in the tailored DPP in the following academic year. The tailored DPP intervention will be online and asynchronously. Participants will be asked to complete the intervention lessons on their own time. Each lesson typically takes on average 15 minutes to complete. Control group will receive each intervention materials via e-mail for participants to review on their own time and will receive acceptability surveys. The interventions for the control group will be remote. A research assistant will meet with control participants via Zoom to explain the intervention materials. Control group will receive access to a study habits intervention, alcohol use intervention, and financial literacy intervention. At the end of each quarter (Fall, Winter, and Spring), both control and intervention participants will receive an email with a unique link to a brief REDCap survey to ascertain acceptability of sessions/lessons. Furthermore, participants will complete baseline and 9-month follow-up assessments. Participants will complete a 30 minute questionnaire and height/weight measurements will be collected by a RA. Participants will be asked to self-report weight and physical activity at the end of the fall and winter quarter; data will be collected via brief REDCap survey.