Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center received a $125,250 Project Grant 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) awarded February 18, 2026, with completion by January 31, 2028. The grant funds the Movement Over Virtual Reality (MOVR) project, which develops and tests a technology-enabled intervention to increase physical activity among patients with prediabetes. The research addresses the significant public health challenge of physical inactivity and low adherence to Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) guidelines, particularly in under-resourced communities with limited access to digital health resources.

The project delivers two primary products: (1) a digital literacy toolkit and best practices guide for administering health-promoting digital technology and virtual reality (VR) applications in safety-net clinic settings, developed in partnership with community health workers (CHWs); and (2) feasibility study data from a longitudinal single-arm study involving 10 trained CHWs and 20 DPP clinic participants to evaluate whether VR exercise programs can effectively promote physical activity and weight loss in prediabetic populations. The findings will inform the design of a larger randomized controlled trial, generating evidence to support broader implementation of VR technology as a scalable intervention for diabetes prevention in underserved communities.