About This Project

In Ethiopia, 9 out of 10 diabetes patients cannot control their blood sugar. We designed a nurse-led counselling and peer support to address this crisis. We hypothesize it will significantly reduce average blood-sugar levels (measured by HbA1c) and improve self-care. To assess this, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial with 160 patients, measuring changes in their clinical outcomes over three months. Your support will fund this final study to prove its effectiveness.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Imagine being told you have a serious lifelong illness, but you're given very little information or support to manage it. This is the reality for thousands of people with Type 2 Diabetes in Ethiopia, where the health system is stretched thin and focused on acute care (WHO, 2016; IDF, 2021).

Our qualitative data revealed this gap, with patients speaking fear, confusion, and isolation at the time of diagnosis. This means patients might see a doctor for a few minutes every few months, but they are left alone to handle the daily, difficult tasks of managing their diabetes. This clear failure of the current system directly leads to our central hypothesis: that continuous support system is the missing link for effective diabetes care. We believe that clinical visits with ongoing nurse-led counselling and peer support is the key to bridging this gap.

What is the significance of this project?

The challenge of diabetes in low- income countries like Ethiopia are well-documented, characterized by poor glycemic control and high rates of complications [Atun, 2017] (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)30123-X/fulltext); [Bekele et al.,2024] https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-17672-1)). Our preliminary research quantifies this crisis locally: in a survey of 404 people with diabetes, we found only 16% had controlled their diabetes and 70% reported poor mental health, rates that align with but critically specify the broader regional (unpublished).

This data proves the problem is not a lack of patient willpower but a lack of a functional support system. The scientific and practical significance of this project is to test a scalable solution. If our hypothesis is correct, this study will provide a proven, cost-effective model that can be integrated into Ethiopian's national NCD strategy.

What are the goals of the project?

Our goal is to replace isolation with support and fear with confidence by proving the effectiveness of our co-designed program. This campaign will fund the final, crucial step: a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to gather the necessary evidence.

Our specific, measurable project goals are as follows: We aim to recruit 160 participants with Type 2 Diabetes from three public hospitals in South Ethiopia. We will implement the 3-month nurse-led and peer-support program for the intervention group. Then, we will measure primary outcomes, which include a significant reduction HbA1c levels and improved scores on the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) scale. We will also measure secondary outcomes as improvements in health-related quality of life and key psychological constructs (Health Belief Model scales).

Our ultimate, long-term goal is to use the results of this RCT as to provide a proven, cost-effective blueprint that can be presented Ethiopian government.