Dance4Healing: a feasibility study to reduce health disparity and increase engagement of an intergenerational telehealth program for minority diabetes patients and their care partners.

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT34.2 M Americans with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) cost $327 B in 2018 1-2 . 68% of them will die from cardiovascular disease 3 . CDC reported that DM disproportionately affects minorities. Partnering with Dr. Palaniappan, who has pioneered research on health disparities and exercise/dance intervention for DM patients, this innovation will expand the research field and have a broader impact on minority health. Currently, there is a lack of data on effective lifestyle recommendations for normal-weight diabetics (NWD), accounting for 1 in 5 Type II DM patients. NWD is especially prevalent in Asian populations and the elderly, facing higher mortality rates than obese diabetics 4 . Research shows dance improves DM and reduces cardiovascular deaths by 46%. 5 . These interventions, however, are only available in person. There are many exercise programs and live video tools, but they rarely cater to an individual’s mobility and accessibility needs. Hence, there is an unmet need for an easy-to-adopt telehealth platform enticing patients to dance from home. Guided by The NIMHD Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework, this project will study the effects of multiple races/ethnicities factors on health behaviors, and develop a culturally sensitive novel habit-building algorithm using Creative Arts Therapy (CAT: Music, Dance, Arts) for remote activity engagement systems with multilevel tracking and effective behavior prompts. Dance4Healing’s (D4H) proprietary personalization will tailor to users’ needs/desires, and find compatible buddies to build lasting habits with pre-recorded and live video classes (think YouTube + Zoom + eHarmony for health buddies). This feasibility study will partner with Stanford professors and the Institute on Aging to develop a groundbreaking smart platform integrating biosensors and a Telehealth Live Video Platform (TLVP). Our multidisciplinary team of experts in diabetes and cardiovascular health, biotracking, behavioral sciences, dance therapy, and data/AI science will pursue the following aims: AIM 1: User research on tailoring D4H TLVP to varied mobility, accessibility needs, potential language barriers, integrating cultural awareness, and identifying effective behavior prompts. Milestones: 12 qualitative 1-hour user interviews for feedback on the current program and UI design. AIM 2: Build and test the feasibility of biosensor integration (Garmin vivosmart® 4, Omron Scale) through an 8-week Mindful Movement telehealth program. Milestones: Successful use of platform biosensors by at least 80% of participants. AIM 3: Develop a novel AI algorithm aligned with NIMHD Research Framework with multilevel tracking and test its feasibility in personalized recommendations and buddy matching tailored to preferences, abilities, and needs. Milestones: 1) Develop data collection and integration methods for preference data, self-reported data with EHR data. 2) Develop an AI algorithm based on this data. Success of this project will lay the groundwork for Phase II for a multicenter trial with American Heart Association, and improve QoL for 34.2 M diabetic Americans, furthering D4H’s vision to become an experience leader bridging art and health.