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The Dietary Guidelines 3 Diets Study

Ensuring the Cultural Relevance of Dietary Guidelines Diet Patterns Among African Americans: Increasing Dietary Quality and Reducing Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04981847
Acronym
DG3D
Enrollment
63
Registered
2021-07-29
Start date
2021-08-01
Completion date
2025-06-23
Last updated
2026-06-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Type 2 Diabetes

Brief summary

The goal of this project is to use a two-stepped study to examine both the adoption of the three dietary patterns as presented by the United States Dietary Guidelines (USDG) and testing of a refined, culturally tailored one-year intervention examining the three diet patterns. For this study, African American adult participants with overweight/obesity and ≥three type 2 diabetes (T2DM) risk factors will be recruited to participate in this two-step study. This present study is for our Step 1: formative pilot work to culturally-tailor a dietary intervention of the three healthy eating patterns presented by the USDG for 12 weeks: 1) U.S.-Style, 2) Mediterranean, or 3) Vegetarian.

Detailed description

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines (USDG) form the basis of federal nutrition programs and policy and provide valuable guidance to health initiatives and industries. The updated 2015 USDG moved away from a focus on individual nutrients to a greater focus on dietary patterns. The USDG state that healthy eating goals can be met through a variety of dietary patterns, but present healthy diet in three main ways: 1) Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern, 2) Healthy Mediterranean-Style Eating Pattern, and 3) Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern. Currently, US adults are falling short of the nutrition recommendations (fruit/vegetable intake, greens/beans, whole grains, etc.) set forth by the USDG and measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). While the USDG are the basis of nutrition guidelines, the research informing these dietary pattern recommendations has largely been drawn from observational studies among mostly white populations. In addition, there has been very limited cultural tailoring of these dietary patterns that would ensure that these diets are acceptable to diverse populations, in particular, African Americans (AAs) living in the south, who experience a disproportionate burden of chronic disease, especially type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Currently, US adults are not meeting nutrition recommendations (fruit/vegetable, whole grains, etc.) set forth by the USDG and measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). For the present study, AA adult participants with overweight/obesity and ≥three T2DM risk factors will be recruited to participate in the following aims: Aim 1: Conduct a 3-month randomized trial among AAs comparing adoption of the 3 dietary patterns \[1) US, 2) Med, or 3) Veg\] using existing materials from the USDG and examine differences in diet quality (HEI) and T2DM risk factors (weight, HgbA1c). Aim 2: Drawing on participants' experiences in Aim 1, conduct qualitative work to refine and culturally tailor the dietary pattern intervention for an AA audience.

Interventions

Participants will attend classes once per week for 3 months.

Sponsors

University of South Carolina
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

Assessors will be blinded to participant group.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* 18-65 years of age * BMI between 25- 49.9 kg/m2 * self-identify as African American * live in the Columbia, SC area * be able to attend all monitoring visits * be willing to be randomized to either condition and be re-randomized if non-responsive * be free of major health or psychiatric diseases, drug or alcohol dependency, thyroid conditions, diabetes, or pregnancy

Exclusion criteria

* should not be pregnant (or have been pregnant in the last 6 months), anticipating on becoming pregnant in the next 24 months, or currently breastfeeding o Women who are pregnant should not be pursuing weight loss and should be under the direct care of a physician. Therefore women who are pregnant or who are anticipating they might be pregnant should not participate in this study. If a woman becomes pregnant during the study, she will be advised to consult with her healthcare provider and will be dropped from the weight loss study. * should be free of an eating disorder as screened by the Eating disorder Screen for Primary care \[ESP\]. (If a participant has an eating disorder, they will be given contact information for the eating disorder clinic at the University of South Carolina) * no current participation in a weight loss program or taking weight loss medications (although participants may be trying to lose weight on their own) * no recent or planned bariatric surgery * no recent weight loss (\>10 lbs in the last 6 months)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Delta Dietary QualityFrom baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 monthsChange in Healthy Eating Index (HEI) total score was calculated as 3-month follow-up score minus baseline score. HEI total scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better diet quality and greater adherence to dietary guidelines. The change score could potentially range from -100 to +100. Positive change scores indicate improvement in diet quality, whereas negative change scores indicate worsening diet quality. HEI total scores were calculated from three averaged 24-hour dietary recalls collected at each time point using the National Cancer Institute's Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Recall (ASA24).
Delta Body WeightFrom baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 monthsChange in body weight from baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 months
Delta Hemoglobin A1cFrom baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 monthsChange in HgbA1c from baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 months

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Delta Systolic Blood PressureFrom baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 monthsChange in systolic blood pressure from baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 months
Delta Diastolic Blood PressureFrom baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 monthsChange in diastolic blood pressure from baseline to the end of the intervention at 3 months

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

The DG3D Aim 1 study was a 12-week, 3-arm randomized dietary intervention. Recruitment was implemented through news, media, and online/social media advertisements, electronic mailing lists, community outreach events, and flyers. Recruitment occurred from July - September 2021.

Pre-assignment details

Eligible and interested participants were offered a choice of orientation session times. During the session, the study coordinator provided a comprehensive overview of the study, addressed participant questions, and obtained informed consent. Those who successfully completed baseline procedures were subsequently randomized.

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Continuous48.0 y
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.6
Body Mass Index (BMI)35.7 kg/m2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.9
Body weight101.6 kg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 24.1
Diastolic Blood Pressure80.4 mmHg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9
Education
Advanced degree
26 Participants
Education
College graduate
9 Participants
Education
Some college
11 Participants
HbA1c5.9 %
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.3
Healthy Eating Index (HEI) Score57.8 Scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.7
Marital Status
Divorced or separated
2 Participants
Marital Status
Married
11 Participants
Marital Status
Partnered/living with someone
0 Participants
Marital Status
Single
17 Participants
Occupation
Employed for wages
37 Participants
Occupation
No current employment
2 Participants
Occupation
Other
1 Participants
Occupation
Retired
4 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race
Black
22 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race
Black and other race
0 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
16 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
4 Participants
Systolic Blood Pressure128.9 mmHg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.2

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
EG002
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 210 / 220 / 20
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 210 / 220 / 20
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 210 / 220 / 20

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 16, 2026