Federal Grant Award Summary: PEBBLES Study

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded $751,436 to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on June 5, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to conduct the Promoting Uptake of Evidence-Based Diabetes and Prediabetes Screening to Increase Health Effectiveness Study (PEBBLES). This project grant, with a completion date of April 30, 2030, addresses a critical gap in the implementation of updated U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines recommending type 2 diabetes and prediabetes screening for adults aged 35-70 with overweight or obesity.

The PEBBLES study will deliver evidence-based research products and services focused on optimizing screening uptake through targeted messaging interventions. Key deliverables include: (1) development and co-design of screening outreach messages across multiple communication modalities (text, electronic health record patient portals, and letters) informed by focus groups and user testing with diverse populations; (2) implementation of a randomized Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomization Trial (SMART) experiment with approximately 2,250 eligible participants across two healthcare delivery settings to identify the most effective sequence of message delivery strategies; and (3) implementation research guidance using the Replicating Effective Practices (REP) framework to support the translation and dissemination of effective screening interventions in real-world healthcare settings.