Results Summary and Professional Abstract
Related Articles
PCORI Stories
Empowering the Marshallese Community in Managing Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes has become a well-known part of daily life for the Marshallese community. In Northwest Arkansas, health screenings found 38.4 percent of Marshallese people with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels indicating diabetes. Read about this study, which found that Marshallese adults in a culturally adapted diabetes education program experienced significantly greater reductions in hemoglobin A1c after one year in the program, compared with adults in a standard program.
Peer-Review Summary
Peer review of PCORI-funded research helps make sure the report presents complete, balanced, and useful information about the research. It also assesses how the project addressed PCORI’s Methodology Standards. During peer review, experts read a draft report of the research and provide comments about the report. These experts may include a scientist focused on the research topic, a specialist in research methods, a patient or caregiver, and a healthcare professional. These reviewers cannot have conflicts of interest with the study.
The peer reviewers point out where the draft report may need revision. For example, they may suggest ways to improve descriptions of the conduct of the study or to clarify the connection between results and conclusions. Sometimes, awardees revise their draft reports twice or more to address all of the reviewers’ comments.
Peer reviewers commented, and the researchers made changes or provided responses. The comments and responses included the following:
- Reviewers asked whether the researchers based their hypothesis on the limitations of previous research in this population, or on evidence that a family-based approach to diabetes care was successful in other communities. The researchers added this discussion to the report, stating that they developed their hypothesis and intervention based on their own pilot work, the limitations of other studies, input from stakeholders, and success of other family-care models.
- Reviewers noted that the two interventions tested differed in several ways that included but were not limited to the family component. They also stated that the trial did not allow for the possibility of attributing any observed differences in results to any particular component of each intervention. The researchers agreed that the original name of one of the two diabetes self-management education (DSME) interventions “Family DSME,” did not fully capture the extent of the differences that the intervention offered compared to Standard DSME. They changed the name of Family DSME to Adapted DSME in response to this concern.
- Reviewers asked that the report describe the clinical importance of any observed differences in results and not overinterpret small differences. The researchers edited the report to soften the language and offer more context in describing differences observed between the two study arms.
Conflict of Interest Disclosures
View the COI disclosure form.
Project Details
Other Health Services Interventions
Training and Education Interventions
Low Health Literacy/Numeracy
Low Income
Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Rural