Grant Award Summary

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute received a $356,000 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2029. This award funds the Partnering with Adolescents to Choose and Implement Technology in the Management of Type 1 Diabetes (PAC-IT) initiative, which develops and pilot tests a parent- and youth-directed behavioral intervention designed to increase adolescent decision-making involvement in the selection and implementation of automated insulin delivery (AID) systems. Delivered by trained health coaches, the intervention incorporates evidence-based components including education, goal setting, behavioral prompts, and structured parent-adolescent discussions grounded in social cognitive learning theory.

The primary deliverables include refinement and pilot testing of the PAC-IT intervention to assess acceptability, barriers, and facilitators for promoting youth decision-making involvement regarding AID adoption. The research addresses the critical clinical challenge of declining AID use among children and adolescents despite the technology's proven clinical benefits, with the ultimate goal of facilitating consistent long-term AID utilization and improved type 1 diabetes health outcomes. This project responds to NIDDK's solicitation for small-scale clinical trials targeting diseases within the institute's mission.