Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39949564›Full record

ArticleHealth literacy and communication open2024

Effectiveness of a health literacy intervention to improve diabetes outcomes in rural family medicine clinics: a randomized pragmatic trial.

Laura M Curtis, Terry C Davis, Connie L Arnold, Jennifer M Gan, Jean C McSweeney, Scott Hur, Mary J Kwasny, Michael S Wolf, Kristie Hadden

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health literacy and communication open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Laura M CurtisDivision of General Internal Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,Chicago, Illinois, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2380-2201
Terry C DavisDepartment of Medicine and Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
Connie L ArnoldDepartment of Medicine and Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
Jennifer M GanDepartment of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Jean C McSweeneyCollege of Nursing - Research, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Scott HurDivision of General Internal Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Mary J KwasnyDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Michael S WolfDivision of General Internal Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Kristie HaddenDepartment of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.

Funding

Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NUCATS)UL1TR001422 · NCATS · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO · PI D'AQUILA, RICHARD · 2015 to 2023
$56.8M
Expanding Translational Research in ArkansasUL1TR003107 · NCATS · UNIV OF ARKANSAS FOR MED SCIS · PI JAMES, LAURA P · 2019 to 2023
$21.6M
Health Literacy Intervention to Improve Diabetes Outcomes among Rural Primary Care PatientsR01DK107572 · NIDDK · UNIV OF ARKANSAS FOR MED SCIS · PI HADDEN, KRISTIE · 2016 to 2019
$2.6M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001422NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR003107NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK107572
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Adults with diabetes mellitus (DM) living in rural areas often face limited access to medical and specialist care, minimal exposure to diabetes education, and transportation challenges. Rural residents also tend to be older, poorer, less educated, under-insured and have lower health literacy compared to their urban counterparts. Aims: We tested the effectiveness of the American College of Physicians (ACP) diabetes health literacy intervention in rural community clinics to improve a range of diabetes-related patient outcomes and determine whether the intervention reduces disparities by health literacy. Methods: We recruited 756 English-speaking adults with uncontrolled Type 2 DM from rural clinics in Arkansas. Trained health coaches reviewed the ACP Diabetes Guide and conducted counseling and action-planning monthly to participants randomized to the intervention. The enhanced usual care (EUC) arm received an American Diabetes Association workbook and was followed as usual. Interviews were conducted at baseline, 3 and 6 months, and clinical outcomes, including hemoglobin A1C and blood pressure values, were extracted from charts through 12 months post-baseline. Health literacy was measured at baseline using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). Our primary outcome was A1C at 6 months, with other clinical values and self-reported diabetes-related knowledge, self-efficacy, distress, and self-care behaviors examined as secondary outcomes. Results: Participants had a mean age of 55.8 (SD=11.7), 68% were female, two-thirds had an annual household income <$15,000, and 52% had limited health literacy. Overall, the intervention had little effect on outcomes at 6 and 12 months, including our primary outcome of A1C at 6 months (Intervention Least Squared Means (LSM) 8.28, 95% CI 8.11, 8.46; EUC LSM 8.44, 95% CI 8.26, 8.61). Diabetes knowledge was greater in those with adequate (LSM 9.46, 95% CI 9.25, 9.67) compared to those with limited health literacy (LSM 8.11, 95% CI 7.91, 8.23, p<0.001) at baseline. This disparity remained in the EUC arm after 6 months but disparities were mitigated in the intervention arm (interaction p<0.001). Discussion: Our intensive intervention was well received, but insufficient to improve outcomes. Strategies may need to attend to other barriers faced by rural patients beyond health literacy to improve health behaviors and outcomes.

Indexed as

Diabetes educationhealth literacypragmatic trialrural health

Identifiers

PMID39949564
PMCPMC11824231

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.