An interventional study of Diabetes & Equine Empowerment Program (DEEP) in Diabetes (Insulin-requiring, Type 1 or Type 2), Pediatric Diabetes and Diabetes (DM), sponsored by Nemours Children's Clinic. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 20 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-05.
Sponsored by Nemours Children's Clinic · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
The Diabetes \& Equine Empowerment Program (DEEP) is a research study evaluating a novel diabetes education program that combines hands-on interactions with miniature horses and evidence-based diabetes self-management education for youth ages 8-20 years with diabetes. Participants and their caregivers attend four structured educational sessions led by a diabetes specialist and a certified equine specialist. Topics include diabetes self-management, coping skills, problem-solving, self-advocacy, and transition readiness. Researchers will evaluate whether the program is feasible to deliver, acceptable to participants and families, and helpful in supporting engagement in diabetes care. Participants will be followed for up to six months after the program, and study outcomes include satisfaction, diabetes-related distress, self-care behaviors, clinic attendance, and diabetes technology use.
In simple terms, this study is exploring whether learning about diabetes through guided activities with miniature horses can help children, adolescents, and young adults feel more confident in managing their diabetes, improve self-care skills, and become more engaged in their health care. The goal is to determine whether this innovative educational approach is practical to offer and valued by patients, families, and health care providers.
Youth with diabetes often face challenges related to self-management, problem-solving, coping with the daily demands of diabetes, and developing the skills needed for increasing independence. Innovative approaches that promote engagement and active participation may help address these challenges while supporting diabetes education and self-confidence.
The Diabetes \& Equine Empowerment Program (DEEP) was developed to integrate experiential learning with diabetes education through structured interactions with miniature horses. The program is designed to create a supportive, interactive environment in which participants can practice communication, goal setting, self-advocacy, and problem-solving while reinforcing key diabetes self-management concepts. Educational content is tailored to developmental level and incorporates activities intended to enhance engagement, self-efficacy, and readiness for independent diabetes management.
This single-arm feasibility study will evaluate the implementation of the DEEP program among youth with diabetes and their caregivers. Participants will complete a series of structured sessions facilitated by a diabetes specialist and a certified equine specialist. The study will examine the practicality of recruitment strategies, participant retention, attendance, and completion of study activities. Acceptability of the intervention will be assessed through participant and caregiver feedback regarding satisfaction, perceived value, and willingness to recommend the program to others.
In addition to feasibility and acceptability outcomes, exploratory measures will assess potential changes in diabetes-related psychosocial and behavioral outcomes, including diabetes distress, self-management behaviors, healthcare engagement, and diabetes technology utilization. Data collected through participant-reported measures and medical record review will be used to inform future research and the potential development of larger controlled studies evaluating equine-assisted diabetes education interventions. Participants will be followed for up to six months after program completion.
8,290 studies on the registry are indexed under Diabetes Mellitus; 1,077 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 50 is below the median of 80 across 6,023 interventional studies indexed under Diabetes Mellitus.
Browse Diabetes Mellitus studies →Nemours Children's Clinic is the lead sponsor of 130 studies on the registry; 26 are open to participants now.
Of its 9 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 6 (67%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
HbA1c
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this single-arm intervention will receive the Diabetes \& Equine Empowerment Program (DEEP), a miniature equine-assisted diabetes education program. Participants and their caregivers will attend four structured sessions led by a diabetes specialist and a certified equine specialist. Sessions combine experiential learning activities with diabetes education focused on self-management, coping skills, problem-solving, self-advocacy, and transition readiness. The study will evaluate feasibility, acceptability, participant satisfaction, and exploratory psychosocial and behavioral outcomes.
Behavioral: Diabetes & Equine Empowerment Program (DEEP)
The Diabetes \& Equine Empowerment Program (DEEP) is a behavioral and educational intervention that combines evidence-based diabetes self-management education with structured, hands-on interactions involving miniature horses. Youth with diabetes and their caregivers participate in four facilitated sessions led by a diabetes specialist and a certified equine specialist. Session activities are designed to reinforce diabetes self-management skills, coping strategies, problem-solving, communication, self-advocacy, and transition readiness through experiential learning. The intervention aims to improve participant engagement, confidence in diabetes management, and readiness for increasing independence while providing a supportive and interactive learning environment. The program is being evaluated for feasibility, acceptability, participant satisfaction, and potential effects on psychosocial and behavioral outcomes.
Also known as: DEEP, Miniature Equine-Assisted Diabetes Education
Participant Recruitment Rate
Recruitment feasibility will be assessed by the proportion of eligible participants who enroll in the four-session miniature equine-assisted diabetes education program, as documented in study enrollment records.
Time frame: From study initiation through completion of enrollment (approximately 9 months)
Participant Retention Rate
Retention feasibility will be assessed by the proportion of enrolled participants who remain in the study and complete scheduled study assessments, as documented in study records.
Time frame: From enrollment through completion of study participation (approximately 9 months)
Program Attendance Rate
Attendance feasibility will be assessed by the proportion of scheduled miniature equine-assisted diabetes education sessions attended by participants, as documented in program attendance logs.
Time frame: From enrollment through completion of study participation (approximately 9 months)
Program Completion Rate
Completion feasibility will be assessed by the proportion of enrolled participants who complete all four miniature equine-assisted diabetes education sessions.
Time frame: From enrollment through completion of study participation (approximately 9 months)
Change in Diabetes Distress Assessed by the Problem Areas in Diabetes Questionnaires (PAID-C/PAID-T)
Change in diabetes-related emotional distress among youth participants as measured by the Problem Areas in Diabetes questionnaires, including the PAID-C for participants ages 8-12 years and the PAID-T for participants ages 13-17 years. Higher scores indicate greater diabetes-related distress
Time frame: Baseline to immediately after completion of the four-session DEEP program
Change in Diabetes Self-Management Behaviors Assessed by the Self-Care Inventory-Updated (SCI-U)
Change in diabetes self-management behaviors as measured by the Self-Care Inventory-Updated (SCI-U), a validated self-report questionnaire that assesses adherence to diabetes self-care activities, including blood glucose monitoring, medication administration, and diabetes-related self-management tasks. Higher scores indicate better adherence to the diabetes care plan.
Time frame: Baseline to immediately after completion of the four-session DEEP program
Routine Diabetes Appointment Attendance Assessed by Electronic Health Record Review
Change in routine diabetes clinic appointment attendance as assessed through electronic health record review. Attendance will be evaluated by comparing the proportion of scheduled diabetes clinic visits attended before participation and following completion of the DEEP program
Time frame: Six months before participation through six months after program completion
Diabetes Technology Initiation Assessed by Electronic Health Record Review
The number of participants who initiate diabetes technology, including continuous glucose monitoring and/or insulin pump therapy, within six months following program completion, as documented through electronic health record review.
Time frame: Program completion through six months after program completion
No study locations are listed for this record.
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Plan to share: Undecided — Individual participant data (IPD) sharing plans have not yet been determined. Because this is an early-stage feasibility study with a small sample size, data sharing considerations will be evaluated following completion of the study and analysis of the results. Any future sharing of de-identified data will be considered in accordance with applicable regulations, institutional policies, participant privacy protections, and informed consent provisions.
Start is estimated for Jan 2027; primary completion for Oct 2027, 8 months later.
Of 1,583 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Diabetes Mellitus, half reached primary completion within 23 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 43. This study's planned 8 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,743 studies reached it within 21 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 42.
Start moved once since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026: Oct 2026 → Jan 2027, on Nov 5, 2026.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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