Internet Diabetes Self-Management

Diabetes is a growing health problem causing personal suffering, comorbid conditions, premature death, and high costs to the individual, the health care system and society. Many of these problems can be prevented or delayed by controlling the disease. This in turn requires daily self-management by patients. We will evaluate an Internet based small group Diabetes Self-Management Program. This program will be adapted from the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Online, already developed and currently being evaluated by the investigators. Participants with type 2 diabetes will be randomized to participate in the Internet Program or serve as controls continuing with usual care. Treatment subjects will participate in a structured 6 week interactive web-based online class with 20-24 other participants and 2 trained peer moderators. If successful, this project will result in a new and effective means of reaching the CDC objective and more importantly in improving the quality of life and health status of people with diabetes while reducing health care utilization and thus costs.