Building and Sustaining Exercise Habits for Adults with Type 1 Diabetes
- Study HIC#:2000039977
- Last Updated:02/13/2026
The challenges of living with type 1 diabetes often stand in the way of getting enough exercise. Continuous blood sugar monitoring has revolutionized type 1 diabetes care but remains underutilized to sustainably support exercise and related behaviors. This remote participation-based research will develop a mobile application that delivers personalized encouragement and data-driven health insights based upon patterns in blood sugar, exercise, mood, and sleep, to assist people with type 1 diabetes in exercising more frequently and confidently. You do not need to live in Connecticut to participate, as there will be no required in-person visits during the study.
Contact Us
For more information about this study, including how to volunteer, contact:
Yashvi Verma
- Phone Number: 1-203-444-0678
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You can help our team find trials you might be eligible for by creating a volunteer profile in MyChart. To get started, create a volunteer profile, or contact helpusdiscover@yale.edu, or call +18779788343 for more information.
Trial Purpose and Description
This is a non-randomized crossover trial that will examine whether a digital intervention can increase weekly exercise minutes among middle-aged adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Exercise minutes will be tracked over the course of a 4-week wait-list (run-in) control period followed by a 16-week intervention period by a validated self-report method verified against exercise video usage and smartwatch heart rate. The intervention includes telehealth exercise coaching substantiated by a biometric feedback dashboard and several weekly just-in-time text messages programmed by the coach with reminders about glucose management with exercise.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion criteria:
- 30-65 years old inclusive
- Diagnosis with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or other insulin deficiency diabetes (latent autoimmune disease of adulthood, diabetes secondary to pancreatitis)
- Less than 1.0 exercise sessions per week
- Smartphone ownership
- English literacy
- Under regular care by a healthcare provider (1+ appointments per year)
- Home Broadband wireless Internet or cell phone network
- Using continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and sharing data with medical record for at least 6 weeks
- Using insulin pump or pen and sharing data with medical record for at least 6 weeks
Exclusion criteria:
- Diabetic ketoacidosis not clearly related to pump site failure in past 6 months
- >1 episode of severe hypoglycemia (altered mental and/or physical status requiring assistance from another person for recovery) in past 6 months
- A1c ≥10.0%
- Resting blood pressure >160mmHg systolic or >100 mmHg diastolic.
- Myocardial infarction or angina in past 12 months
- Uncontrolled arrhythmia (e.g., atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response, new onset atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, escape rhythms)
- Congestive heart failure (stage 3 or 4)
- Exercise-induced asthma (not controlled on inhalers)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (requiring home oxygen)
- Renal failure
- Pregnancy
- Cognitive impairment
- Severe retinopathy or neuropathy.
- Other chronic disease or physical disability that would influence exercise intervention (e.g., recent spinal surgery)
