VA MOVE! Reinforces Why Veteran-Specific Diabetes Prevention Research Matters, with Piaopiao Li and Hui Shao, MD, PhD

The VA MOVE! Program generally reduced the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) over 15 years, although efficacy significantly varied by subgroups and declined over time.

These long term data were presented at the 2025 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions, held June 20-23, in Chicago, Illinois, by Piaopiao Li, MS, a PhD candidate at University of South Florida.

HCPLive spoke with Li and the primary investigator of the study, Hui Shao, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health, and the School of Public Health at Emory University, to learn more about VA MOVE!, the efficacy it has shown previously, and its real-world findings out to 15 years.

Li emphasized the specific disease burden of T2D in the veteran population and to the health care system. She overviewed the VA MOVE! study and its origins from NIH diabetes prevention program (DPP) trials.

Prior to the long-term follow-up, investigators had found that participating in VA MOVE! was associated with a 33% risk reduction for T2D. Shao outlined how VA MOVE fits into the larger scheme of CDC-funded DPP-like intervention studies in different populations.

“The disease burden [in veterans] is different and we're kind of moving to a precision diabetes era. So, diabetes has many different subtypes and in veterans, not only is the disease burden different, the composition of different subtypes are very different from the general population. And so, the targeted type of diabetes prevention strategies specifically for veterans is very important as compared to the one deployed in the general population,” Shao told HCPLive.

Li and Shao have no disclosures to report.

REFERENCE

Li P, Shao H, Xue Q, et al. Assessing the Real-World Effectiveness of the VA MOVE! Lifestyle Program in Preventing Type 2 Diabetes—A 15-Year Follow-up Study [Board No. 160]. Presented at: ADA 2025; June 20-23; Chicago, Illinois. Presentation #160-OR