Previously submitted to: JMIR Research Protocols (no longer under consideration since Dec 17, 2025)
Date Submitted: Jul 11, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Evidence-based Intervention for Diabetes prevention (EID) in the United Arab Emirates: Protocol Paper for a Feasibility Trial
ABSTRACT
Evidence-based diabetes prevention strategies, such as the United States Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), reduce the risk of developing diabetes among individuals at high risk, but remain underutilized. Since the seminal DPP study demonstrated the efficacy of this lifestyle intervention program, it has been implemented in various settings, such as hospitals, communities, and places of work. Despite the increased availability of in-person DPPs, participant access is limited by individual barriers (e.g. time and travel to complete the 22 in-person sessions) and institutional barriers (e.g. lack of space and qualified staff, cost). Delivering the DPP virtually provides a means to address these barriers. Most virtual DPPs use asynchronous tools and participants work through weekly modules individually. However, data from our own work and others suggest that social support via group interactions are fundamental for engagement in the DPP and other behavior change interventions. This feasibility study will test the acceptability of a multi-component, theory-based, diabetes prevention intervention to serve the unique needs of Arab adults, as measured by session attendance and weight change.
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