Offering digital health education to family and friends of diabetes patients can improve outcomes for patients, Arkansas researchers found.

Why it matters: The study, performed by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Institute for Community Health Innovation, suggests that this model can improve disease management and provides evidence that it should be covered by insurance, professor and researcher Jennifer Andersen told Axios.

• It also confirmed that it can be done well using telehealth, which can help reach people in rural areas where transportation and distance are common barriers.

State of play: The standard model, where patients attend classes alone, is more broadly offered and covered by insurance, she said. It is also effective at helping patients manage their diabetes.

What they found: The UAMS study was the first to compare the standard and family models and found that glucose management improved in both groups. The family model, though, was also effective at reducing "harmful" behaviors by patients' support systems and increasing "helpful" behaviors, Andersen said.

• "It's really nice when those family members and your support network get more of an idea what's going on," Andersen said.
• People who do not have diabetes might not know that their behavior, like pressuring someone to have a cupcake at a birthday party, is harmful. This kind of education can help a patient's support system better understand the disease.

What they did: Participants in the study were allowed to have one family member or friend participate in online diabetes self-management education that they typically would participate in alone.

• They didn't necessarily live together or even have to be in the same room for the education. The people attending the classes with them made "supporting goals," like agreeing to watch children for the patients while they took walks after dinner or walking with them.

What's next: The institute is hoping to expand both models via telehealth, Andersen said.

Share

The share of Americans 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher rose from about 34% to 38% between the 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 periods, according to new census data.

Zoom in: In Northwest Arkansas, the rate increased from 32.7% to 35.9%.

• 📈 The biggest gains among the 100 largest metro areas: Durham, N.C. (53%, up from 45%); New Haven, Conn. (42%, up from 35%); and Austin, Texas (51%, up from 45%).
• Springfield, Mass., was the only metro with a decrease, dropping from about 33% to 29%.

📊 How it works: That's based on the Census Bureau's latest 5-year American Community Survey estimates.

• 🚚 A given metro's share can increase if more residents get their degrees, or if more people with degrees move into town.

Go deeper

🏦 Fayetteville planning commissioners approved a development plan for an Armor Bank branch at 3101 N. College Ave., where Mong Dynasty and Play It Again Sports are now located. (Fayetteville Flyer)

🗳️ Colt Shelby, who sued Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to move up the state's special election for Senate in District 26, was nominated as the Libertarian candidate for governor. (Arkansas Advocate)

Attorneys for Andrew McGann, who is accused of killing two people at Devil's Den State Park last year, asked a judge to prohibit the state from seeking the death penalty. (5News)

• The lawyers cite a campaign ad from Washington County Prosecutor Brandon Carter's election campaign for the Arkansas Court of Appeals that shows a photo of McGann, which may be in violation of a gag order.

GDP growth has slowed, consumers are worried about housing affordability and eating out costs more, but there's some small relief at the pump.

• NWA's average price was $2.41 per gallon on Feb. 1, down from $2.77 a year before.
• The national average was $2.91 per gallon at the beginning of the month.