Community-engaged design of a virtual diabetes prevention program intervention with care coordination

Abstract Background The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is an evidence-based approach to prevent Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Despite demonstrated benefits, acceptability and uptake of DPPs remain low, especially among communities with low incomes at increased risk for diabetes. The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center led the design of a community-engaged virtual DPP (vDPP) intervention and assessed its feasibility of implementation in two contrasting settings. Methods The vDPP design followed an iterative, multi-partner mixed methods approach guided by a community - engaged research framework. The steps involved were: (1) application of the socio-ecological model theoretical framework to vDPP design (2) interviews and a technology survey with community residents and providers to assess feasibility (3) development of a program impact pathway (PIP) for ongoing process evaluation (4) five-week pilot study followed by participant focus groups, and (5) triage of findings to make necessary adaptations. Results This process led to a vDPP intervention that included an online platform with asynchronous programming and a health coach as well as an added care coordination component provided by local community health workers and hospital-based community nurses. Thematic analysis showed that community members and providers valued the concept of a structured program with personalized guidance and emphasized the importance of addressing social needs and considering broad health goals. The pilot study identified program facilitators and barriers around engagement, communication, and feelings of personal accountability that informed program adaptations made prior to full implementation testing, including clarification of support roles and addition of detailed orientation materials. Conclusions This formative research demonstrated initial program feasibility and identified ways to improve the quality of program delivery. Pairing the PIP with a community-engaged approach led to the development of a novel health promotion intervention that is now being tested through a subsequent implementation science study. Trial registration NCT04195477, clinicaltrials.gov, registered 7 October, 2020; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04195477?term=NCT04195477&rank=1 .