While managing diabetes over a lifetime, some of the tools with the greatest efficacy are those that patients can use by themselves. This concept is one of the foundations of diabetes self-management and behavioral diabetes pioneered by the late Mark Peyrot, PhD.

Measurement of these behaviors will be discussed on Saturday, June 24, in Behavioral Markers of Diabetes Self-Management—State of the Science and Measurement Controversies—Honoring the Legacy of Mark Peyrot. The panel discussion will take place at 8:00 a.m. PT in Ballroom 20D of the San Diego Convention Center

Dr. Peyrot, who died in October 2022, was one of the founding fathers of the study of behavioral diabetes, alongside Richard Rubin, PhD. He emphasized the need to monitor a person’s care behaviors and associated psychological burden.

“This is a fitting symposium in his honor,” said Deborah Young-Hyman, PhD, FTOS, FSBM, CDCES, Health Scientist Administrator, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, who will discuss the state of the field to pay homage to how far it has come.

Dr. Young-Hyman will give an overview of the progress made in recent years, including an increase in the amount of and accessibility to diabetes technology to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Old methods, like using urine to measure blood glucose, have largely given away to more modern methods such as using integrated pump systems with continuous glucose monitoring.

“Technology now plays a large role in determining the accuracy of treatment and has the potential of alleviating the burden on persons with diabetes by helping them to be more successful,” she said.

Moving forward, Dr. Young-Hyman sees a need to increase accessibility to and affordability of these technology-based devices. Because each person living with diabetes is unique, the methods used to care for them must also be unique.

“There is more and more effort to include diverse populations in the testing and dissemination of technology-based tools that can adapt to an individual’s needs and establish efficacy. In the field of behavioral diabetes, we never assume that one size fits all,” she said.

Measuring blood glucose levels, sleep quality, and diet choices can all be beneficial to “understanding the lived experiences of people with diabetes and making sure that we are measuring and trying to improve the things that are important to them,” said Sarah S. Jaser, PhD, Director of Pediatric Psychology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Jaser will discuss the effect of sleep duration and quality on diabetes.

“We know that most people are not getting enough sleep,” she said. “For people with diabetes, that has even more consequences. So, it makes it harder both on the emotional and behavioral side of management.”

A lack of sleep can impair the ability to manage stress, which may affect food choices and lead to less exercise. Both behaviors may worsen the patient’s disease state.

“It’s bidirectional. People with diabetes tend to have more sleep disruptions. And then, not getting sufficient sleep or having lower quality of sleep makes it harder to manage diabetes,” Dr. Jaser said.

Measuring this change may help patients adjust their behaviors, and therefore improve their symptom management, she continued.

Soohyun S. Nam, PhD, APRN, ANP-BC, FAHA, FAAN, Associate Professor of Nursing, Yale University, will explain how to measure self-management behaviors via ecological momentary assessment. Carla K. Miller, PhD, RD, Professor of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, The Ohio State University, will discuss the dynamics of measuring dietary intake and quality. John M. Jakicic, PhD, Professor of Physical Activity and Weight Management, University of Kansas Medical Center, will address measuring physical activity and sedentary behavior with actigraphy.