Program AACTIVE: African Americans Coming Together to Increase Vital Exercise

Program AACTIVE: African Americans Coming Together to Increase Vital Exercise

Program AACTIVE will enroll 80 African American/Black men with type 2 diabetes and depression. Participants will be randomized to either the intervention arm or the control arm. Participants in the intervention arm will receive counseling (cognitive behavioral therapy) and physical activity sessions over 12 weeks. Counseling and physical activity sessions will take place via a video conferencing platform. There will also be 3 in-person health assessments including baseline, at 12-weeks and 3-month follow up. The investigators are interested in seeing if physical activity and counseling improve A1C outcomes and depression symptoms for participants.

Participants will be randomized to the Program AACTIVE intervention group or an Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) group. The intervention group will receive 10 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and 6 physical activity sessions over the 12-week period. All Program AACTIVE CBT sessions and exercise sessions will run concurrently and take place virtually.

Inclusion Criteria:

• African American/Black males, ambulatory status, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for one year duration or longer, PHQ-9 score >=15 with no self-reported psychotic symptoms, live in the Wayne or Washtenaw Counties, have reliable transportation to in-person events, have reliable access to internet and a device that supports video calls.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Stage 2 hypertension as defined by JNCVIII, recent cardiac events, recent laser surgery for proliferative retinopathy, history of stroke, lower limb amputation, peripheral neuropathy, aortic stenosis or other sever valvular heart disease, atrial fibrillation, severe COPD (e.g., basal oxygen), class III or IV heart failure or medical instability.

Participants who are currently receiving psychotherapy services for the treatment of depression from a mental health care provider will be excluded while participants who are currently receiving only medication management from as psychiatrist will be included.