$3-million CIHR grant to support research towards an interactive tool to prevent hypoglycemia 鈥� the BETTER study
The BETTER study (BEhaviors, Therapies, TEchnologies and hypoglycemic Risk in Type 1 diabetes), co-led by Professor Anne-Sophie Brazeau, RD, PhD (平特五不中 School of Human Nutrition) and Dr R茅mi Rabasa-Lhoret (Institut de Recherches Clinique de Montr茅al), is a 4-year project co-funded by CIHR, through the strategies for patient-oriented research (SPOR), and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (total funding $3,000,000). The overall aim of the project is to reduce hypoglycemia severity and frequency in patients with type 1 diabetes.
Built in partnership with patients, the study is aimed at people with type 1 diabetes. The tool鈥檚 goal is to optimize the use of new technological devices (insulin pump or monitor indicating sugar levels in real-time) and treatments (new types of insulin and glucagon formulas) to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia. It will include the implementation of a registry (the first in Canada), a patient discussion forum, a blog, as well as educational material mainly based on videos. The study will also include the participation of the patients鈥� health professionals. The tool will be tested across the province of Quebec among adolescents and adults.
Dr Brazeau has several years鈥� experience in clinical practice. Her research program focuses on strategies to improve health behaviors of individuals with type 1 diabetes to optimize their control of the disease and its complications, and on prevention development of type 2 diabetes in an at-risk population through health behaviors changes. Currently she is also co-leading the VPN study, a virtual network of youth with type 1 diabetes. The objective of this network is to enhance social support in adolescent and young adults to improve their diabetes care. She is also co-leading the Sugar and Health study, designed to explore the relationship between free-sugar consumption and later development of gestational diabetes, a temporary condition leading to greater risk of type 2 diabetes in the years following pregnancy.