Healthy Interactions Achieves Sustained Positive 5-year Outcomes For People With Diabetes During Ramadan, New Research Finds

November 8, 2019

CHICAGO, IL | October 21, 2019 | PRNewswire

Over the past 14 years, Healthy Interactions’ programs have improved the lives of over 35 million people with chronic conditions. A new 48-month long study was presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 78th Scientific Sessions meeting by Clalit Health Services Research Institute (with Dr. Einav Srulovici as the principal investigator), validating the long-term efficacy and impact of Healthy Interactions’ programs. The study was funded by and conducted in collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company.

According to Calanit Key, the head of the community nursing division at Clalit Health Services: “The community nurse has a significant role in improving and promoting the health of patients with diabetes. During the past years, thousands of interventions for patients with diabetes were conducted in Clalit’s clinics. Some were culturally oriented for Arab patients. The Ramadan fast is an important time period to empower patients with diabetes to self-manage their diabetes while keeping their religious obligations. The Ramadan Conversation Map, which is conducted in Arabic, allows that culturally oriented guidance. This group intervention that is led by community nurses has the potential to improve patients with diabetes health more than other interventions”. 

Some individuals with diabetes fast during Ramadan despite medical concerns for risk of adverse outcomes. The Managing Diabetes During Ramadan Conversation Map™ session is a self-management education, group-based intervention for Muslim individuals with type 2 diabetes, specifically addressing diabetes management during Ramadan.

The aim of this study (shared July 2019) was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Managing Diabetes During Ramadan Conversation Map intervention in improving short-term clinical outcomes and reducing healthcare utilization following Ramadan. Participants were Clalit Health Services members with type 2 diabetes who participated in the intervention between 2014 and 2017 across Israel and included 1732 participants who enrolled in the intervention over the five-year study period. The cohort was mainly between the ages of 45 and 74 years (83.3%), female (71.9%), of lower socioeconomic status (92.1%), with a diabetes duration of 10 years or more (51.7%), obese (64.0%), and had never smoked (73.8%).

Post intervention, participants experienced a reduction of 8.61 mg/dL in their glucose levels (p = 0.005) and 0.34% in their HbA1c levels (p < 0.001). In a sub-group analysis of participants with HbA1c > 7%, larger reductions in glucose (17.02 mg/dL [p < 0.001]) and HbA1c (0.63% [p < 0.001]) levels were recorded. This sub-group also experienced a reduction of 4.83 mg/dL in LDL level (p = 0.007) and had 0.2 fewer primary care visits (p < 0.001).

Participation in the Managing Diabetes During Ramadan Conversation Map improved patient glucose and HbA1c levels. A greater benefit was reported in those individuals with HbA1c > 7%. These findings hold important global health implications for the millions of individuals with type 2 diabetes for whom Ramadan can pose a challenge in disease control. “It is very challenging to manage one’s diabetes while fasting from sun up to sun down during Ramadan. It was an honor to develop and deploy our Managing Diabetes During Ramadan program. We are thrilled to help people manage their diabetes during Ramadan. We are thankful to Clalit Research Institute for taking the initiative to conduct such a comprehensive study of our program” stated Peter Gorman, COO of Healthy Interactions.

Click here to view a PDF version of the poster.

About Healthy Interactions, Inc.

A global leader in health education, Healthy Interactions, creates powerful educational approaches that inspire valuable insights and change personal health behaviors. We build partnerships with leading medical and disease associations, not-for-profit organizations, corporations, and healthcare professionals.

Our approaches enable millions of people to take control of their health and live their best lives. Our digital tools empower healthcare consumers to move toward their goals by providing information, tracking, and ongoing interactions with peers and health educators. The result is that patients become more active partners in their health, which improves the outcomes of their diseases. We partner with health systems and clinics across the U.S. and with pharmaceutical companies that sponsor our programs around the world. For more information about Healthy Interactions and our Conversation Map® programs, please contact: info@healthyinteractions.com.

About Clalit Health Services

Clalit Health Services is the largest health care payer and provider organization in Israel with over 4.4 million members and runs its own network of hospitals and clinics across the country. It operates 14 hospitals, including psychiatric hospitals and a rehabilitation hospital and over 1,200 primary care clinics as well as a network of pharmacies and dental clinics. It has a nationally utilized electronic health record system that started in 1998 and has integrated both inpatient and outpatient healthcare records of Clalit members most of whom stay in the HMO throughout their lifespan.