Personalized Diabetes Prevention: Insights from 15 Years of the VA MOVE! Program, with Qiaochu Xue, PhD, MPH

A 15-year analysis of the VA MOVE! Program, a Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)-style lifestyle intervention, found a 24% relative risk reduction in type 2 diabetes (T2D) overall, although there was substantial variation in individual responses.1

Further research of the data from the program, led by Qiaochu Xue, PhD, MPH, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center, has identified 10 key effect modifiers and developed a personalized prediction algorithm to identify individuals who stand to receive the greatest benefits from participating in the program.

Xue presented these findings at the 2025 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions, held June 20-23, in Chicago, Illinois.

“We know that most of the participants may not benefit equally… these differences may be partly from the different baseline characteristic, clinical biomarkers, and indicators, and we would like to explore the heterogeneity in their treatment response to the MOVE! Program,” Xue told HCPLive in an interview during the ADA meeting.

During our conversation, Xue gave HCPLive background on the VA MOVE! program and its main findings before going more into detail on what her research focused on. She went over some of the key effect modifiers, which were clinical, physical and mental. She also emphasized the personalized prediction algorithm’s potential to engage or reengage participants to the VA MOVE! study as average uptake remains low. Lastly, she discussed some future research that she would like to see conducted with other DPP interventions like VA MOVE! and other questions she would like to see answered.

“There are 2 opportunities here, to identify and prioritize those high benefits groups, and then, enhance the program engagement for the non-responders,” Xue said.

REFERENCE

Xue Q, Li P, Lee J, et al. ADA Presidents' Select Abstract: Heterogeneous Treatment Effects of the VA MOVE! Weight Management Program in Preventing Type 2 Diabetes. Presented at ADA 2025; June 20-23; Chicago, Illinois. Presentation #159-OR