PROJECT ABSTRACT
Over 80% of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) struggle to achieve good glycemic control, placing them at
risk for acute and chronic complications. Instilling good T1D management practices in adolescence can set a
pattern into adulthood, improving long-term health while reducing future burden on patient and family quality of
life, adolescent psychosocial development, and the health care system. Health psychology and economics
research suggest that financial incentives can increase adolescent adherence to T1D self-management
regimens. We developed InvesT1D, a flexible, patient centered incentives intervention based on rigorous
developmental research that included qualitative, ethical, and stated preference analyses. A pilot randomized
controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated that InvesT1D was effective at improving adherence to self-management
goals and time-in-range among continuous glucose monitor users. We propose a larger, more comprehensive
study to determine the most efficacious financial incentive structure and to evaluate InvesT1D’s impact on
time-in-range, HbA1c, adverse events, long-term health, diabetes distress, family conflict, health care
utilization, and adolescent and caregiver quality of life. In this hybrid effectiveness-implementation study, we
will use mixed methods to evaluate InvesT1D’s efficacy, long-term health benefits, cost-effectiveness, and
implementation feasibility. Our interdisciplinary team’s innovative approach includes an RCT, trial- and model-
based economic evaluations (from the payer, health care, and societal perspectives), a policy analysis, the
development of a decision support dashboard, and qualitative interviews with patient, health care payer, and
health care delivery system stakeholders. Methodologic contributions of the InvesT1D study can make a
significant contribution to the scientific approach for developing incentive interventions for a range of behavioral
health-related conditions.