Alberta Children’s Hospital: working to prevent type 2 diabetes in the next generation!

Goals of the project

The PREVENT project’s goal is to prevent type 2 diabetes in children by working with pregnant women with type 2 diabetes and their families.

Educational tools will be created that cover common questions mothers and families have about recommendations for babies and toddlers on healthy living topics including nutrition, activity, sleep, screen time, parenting, and mental health to help set them up to live healthy lives.

Plan

First, the team in Alberta is using surveys and telephone interviews to find out what pregnant women and their partners want to know and how they’d prefer to receive the education. Using this information, the team will then work to develop and evaluate the educational modules for pregnant women and new moms. These new resources will be available nationally via the Resource Hub.

Accomplishments and Milestones

PHASE 1: Needs Assessment: Currently underway

• 93 surveys were completed by moms with type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes in Calgary.
• The surveys asked moms questions about nutrition, screen time, physical activity, and sleep. They also asked about ways moms like to get information and education.
• Because of COVID-19, the focus groups that were originally planned have been switched to phone interviews. During the interview, moms with type 2 diabetes will be asked what questions they have and what types of information they would like to learn to help them build healthy lifestyle habits for their children.

PHASE 2: Creating educational modules

• After the phone interviews are done, the team will analyze the results and combine them with what was learned in the surveys to make topics and modules about healthy lifestyle habits.
• The modules will be shared nationally online.

PHASE 3: Evaluating educational modules

• Once the modules are created, they will be evaluated and based on the findings, the topics and information will be refined to best help moms with type 2 diabetes.