InsideAPE: Mumta Kadir and Diabetes-Preventing Lifestyle-Change Programs

Mumta Kadir (rising 2nd year EPI MPH) started working on lifestyle change for diabetes prevention during her undergraduate training. Since then, she has discovered much more about the inner workings of diabetes prevention through a REAL position last year and her current APE. Read her full story below!

Tell us about your APE project

I’m a research assistant for a CDC funded project related to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) focused on improving the quality of lifestyle coaches and organizations implementing the lifestyle change program. 

The NDPP is a CDC-recognized lifestyle change program created to address the rising cases of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes in the US. Lifestyle coaches are peer educators, health promoters, community health workers, or diabetes care, and education specialists trained in the CDC’s PreventT2 curriculum to provide effective guidance and support for program participants. 

For this project, I am responsible for various tasks including data cleaning, management, collection, and analysis (both quantitative and qualitative). 

How did you find your APE?

My APE is a continuation of my REAL job. I was hired in the fall during the beginning stages of the research project because of my research experience with the DPP at the University of Michigan.

How has your experience been so far? Has the pandemic changed the scope of your project?

My experience has been great so far! I’ve been able to learn about the different sides of research projects like the administrative side which includes obtaining IRB approval to the data side which includes data collection and analysis. I’m also gaining qualitative data analysis experience, something that isn’t as common with traditional EPI work. 

Because of the pandemic, the program is now completely virtual. We recently began our primary data collection by sending out surveys to over 12,000 people who are leading or have led the NDPP to some capacity. The survey aims to receive qualitative and quantitative data that could help to improve the quality of the program, and questions related to the effects of COVID-19 were added to understand how the pandemic is affecting the program and program participants nationally. 

How did you survive lockdown and what’s the first thing you can’t wait to do once it’s safe again?

I’m surviving lockdown by being with my family and keeping up with my friends regularly. I also have been reading a lot more and ended up joining a book club! Once it’s safe to go out again, I can’t wait to go to local coffee shops again and meet up with friends! 

As always, thanks to Mumta for her time and tune in next week for another InsideAPE feature!