Capitol Planning Region

This research aims to evaluate the Diabetes LIVE JustICE application, designed to support diabetes self-management among formerly incarcerated individuals transitioning to supervised community housing. This group experiences a higher rate of diabetes and faces challenges such as limited diabetes knowledge, cognitive impairment, and restricted access to healthcare skills. The study uses a randomized clinical trial design with repeated assessments at 0, 6, and 12 weeks to examine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects on behavior and clinical outcomes including glycemic control. Participants will be assigned to either the Diabetes LIVE JustICE intervention or a control group receiving enhanced pre-release diabetes education. The intervention group accesses a multi-user virtual environment via IOSAndroid mobile devices, offering real-time communication, instructor-led education, support sessions, and interactive resources over six weekly 1-hour sessions plus a support hour. The control group receives nurse-delivered diabetes education and literacy-tailored materials. The six-week series will be run multiple times over 18 months. During the study, participants will be monitored for recruitment, engagement, participation rates, and user experience. Assessments include diabetes knowledge, emotional distress, self-care behaviors, social support, perceived competence, and metabolic indicators like A1C. Focus groups will gather feedback on acceptability. Researchers will track changes from baseline through week 12, aiming to understand the interventions impact on diabetes management and support for this vulnerable population.