Date of Award

5-3-2023

Degree Type

Evidence-Based Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Lindsay A. Munden

Abstract

Obesity is the leading risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (American Diabetes Association, 2022). Diabetes mellitus (DM) and obesity put individuals at higher risk for developing heart disease, stroke, and hypertension, therefore, it is essential to properly manage both conditions. The purpose of this project is to determine if the implementation of an evidence-based weight loss intervention, MyFitnessPal© will result in reduction in body mass index (BMI) and lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in overweight adults with DM. A comprehensive literature search of six databases, hand searching, and citation chasing yielded 13 pieces of moderate to high quality evidence supporting implementation of lifestyle modifications including diet and exercise, behavioral interventions including motivational interviewing and counseling, and technology interventions including the use of smartphone applications. Adult participants with DM and a BMI of 25 or greater were recruited from a large primary care clinic in Northwest Indiana. Participants were recruited through a retrospective chart review of active patients utilizing the clinic for their routine care. The smartphone application MyFitnessPal© was downloaded by enrolled participants during a 15-minute education session with the project leader at the project site. Through MyFitnessPal©, participants set weight goals, and monitored their progress for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes measured were BMI and HbA1c. Secondary outcomes measured were changes in diabetic mediation dosing. Data will be analyzed using pre- and post-intervention t-tests to determine the level of significance. Findings have the capability to improve BMI and HbA1c levels in overweight adults with DM.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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