Background and Rationale: Effective management of blood glucose levels is critical in preventing the long-term complications of Type 2 Diabetes. While clinical interventions are vital, lifestyle factors remain the cornerstone of metabolic health. This study was developed as a pilot project by Epidemiology Master’s students during the Medical Informatics "REDCap Session" to simulate a real-world clinical data collection workflow.
Research Question: To what extent do dietary habits, physical activity frequency, and sedentary behavior correlate with HbA1c levels in adults with varying diabetic statuses (non-diabetic, pre-diabetic, and diabetic)?
Methodology: This cross-sectional study utilizes a standardized electronic case report form (eCRF) to collect multi-domain data:
Demographics: Age, gender, and anthropometric measures including Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference.
Lifestyle Predictors: Quantitative and qualitative assessment of physical activity, smoking status, and specific dietary patterns (e.g., Mediterranean, High-Fiber, Vegetarian).
Clinical Outcomes: Laboratory values for fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), alongside current medication use.
Aims:
To evaluate the feasibility of using REDCap for integrated lifestyle and clinical data capture in a clinical setting.
To identify preliminary associations between self-reported sedentary time and elevated HbA1c levels.
To provide a "dummy" dataset for training students in epidemiological data cleaning and statistical analysis using R and Stata.
Target Population: The study focuses on adults aged 18–49, providing a snapshot of metabolic health predictors in a younger to middle-aged cohort.
Note: This is a simulated study created for educational purposes within the Medical Informatics curriculum and does not contain real patient data.
The primary objective of this study is to investigate the association between various lifestyle predictors—including dietary patterns, physical activity levels, and sedentary behavior—and long-term glycemic control as measured by glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting glucose levels in an adult population.
The study is implemented as a digital data collection project using the REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) platform. Data is collected through clinician-led interviews and physical measurements (BMI, waist circumference) during standardized patient visits.
Cross-sectional observational study.
Institutional funding (University Medical Center, Medical Informatics Education Grant).
This dashboard shows aggregated data only.