Community collaboration enhances diabetes research

^{Study participant Terry Chapman and Assistant Professor Mary Whipple review data collected from an activity monitor to identify sedentary patterns.}

Nearly 20% of Minnesotans over 65 have type 2 diabetes, with Black Americans facing 60% higher diagnosis rates and twice the mortality risk compared to non-Hispanic White Americans.

“It’s really clear that in our area Black and African American people have a much greater risk of developing diabetes and significant complications,” says Assistant Professor Mary Whipple, PhD, RN, PHN, FSVM.

A collaborative study Whipple is leading at the School of Nursing aims to help Black Minnesotans with type 2 diabetes live healthier lives by disrupting their sedentary time. The project, Interrupt T2D, is supported by NIH-funded Center for Chronic Disease Reduction and Equity Promotion Across Minnesota.

After an initial funding rejection in 2022, Whipple made a decision that would prove transformative: she established a Community Advisory Board composed of Black North Minneapolis residents, many living with diabetes themselves. Their input proved invaluable in refining the study’s approach.

“After reflection and consultation with the board, we pulled out a lot of pieces of data collection that I had planned to do,” Whipple says. “In the end, the project was greatly simplified, and as a result it has the potential to be far more meaningful to individuals and far more impactful in the long run.”

The Community Advisory Board meets monthly at the University’s Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC). Conversation often extends beyond project specifics to neighborhood history and context, providing invaluable perspective.

“The expertise that all of the Community Advisory Board members bring has been so valuable in making this project better,” Whipple says.

The study focuses on practical interventions. Participants wear an activity monitor on their thigh for a week while maintaining normal routines. They then review their sedentary patterns with Whipple and develop personalized strategies to break up sitting time — such as chair stands, additional movements during daily tasks, or simple stretches.

Terry Chapman, a study participant with family members affected by diabetes who developed the condition herself, has already seen positive changes.

“I think about moving more. It’s definitely at the top of my mind now,” Chapman says. “As long as I can, I want to move this body and do for myself.”

For Community Advisory Board members like Velma Nelson-Thomas and William Thomas, the project offers both personal and community benefits.

“Being on the Community Advisory Board, I feel that Mary has accepted and wanted the knowledge I shared and she knows it’s real,” says Nelson-Thomas. “It empowers me and makes me feel very important to be on the committee.”

Thomas appreciates learning information he can share with others. “I wanted to get the right knowledge so I can pass it on to other people,” he says.

The two-year, mixed-methods study represents an important contribution to Whipple’s broader research agenda, which focuses on helping older adults with diabetes live longer, healthier lives. The team is already discussing how to share results and secure funding to continue their research.