‘We're all in the same boat’: A qualitative study on how groups work in a diabetes prevention and management programme

Abstract

What is already known on this subject?Many health interventions, including programmes to help prevent or manage diabetes and facilitate weight loss, are delivered in groups. Such group-based behaviour-change interventions are often effective in facilitating psychological and behaviour change. There is considerable research and theory on individual change processes and techniques, but less is known about which change processes and techniques facilitate behaviour change in group settings. What does this study add?This study contributes to our understanding of how participating in group-based health programmes may enhance or impede individual behaviour change. It identified individual (intrapersonal) and group (interpersonal, facilitated through group interaction) change processes that were valued by group participants. The findings also show how these change processes may be affected by the group context. A diagram summarizes the identified themes helping to understand interactions between these key processes occurring in groups.The study offers an insight into participants' views on, and experiences of, attending a group-based diabetes prevention and management programme. Thus, it helps better understand how the intervention might have helped them (or not) and what processes may have influenced intervention outcomes. Key practical recommendations for designing and delivering group-based behaviour-change interventions are presented, which may be used to improve future group-based health interventions.

How is the Behavior Change Technique Content of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Program Understood by Participants? A Qualitative Study of Fidelity, With a Focus on Receipt

“…It was also felt that group sizes needed to be manageable in order for facilitators to provide personalized advice. Similarly, it was reported that shared experiences facilitated problem solving and bolstered self-efficacy in the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study [ 29 ]. Furthermore, our findings regarding participants’ valuing having their bodyweight monitored are in line with findings from the same study, where weigh-ins within the group setting were found to give participants a sense of accountability.…”

Cross-Sectional Study on Health Literacy and Internet Accessibility Among Patients With DM in Gansu, China

“…Trust is fundamentally important in the management of DM from both the physical and psychological points of view (42). We found that only 27.6% of patients with DM with access to the internet fully trusted online information.…”

Team members influence retention in a First Peoples’ community-based weight-loss program

“…This could suggest prior social ties might facilitate successful outcomes. However, feelings of social cohesion can also develop through the process of participation in group-oriented programs where individuals may not be previously acquainted ( Canuto et al, 2013 , Borek et al, 2019 ), particularly where there is homogeneity in a group ( Farrance et al, 2016 ). Moreover, the impact of social cohesion may be intertwined with group leader characteristics ( Izumi et al, 2015 ).…”