Recruitment, retention, and training of people with type 2 diabetes as diabetes prevention mentors (DPM) to support a healthcare professional-delivered diabetes prevention program: The Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study (NDPS)

NDPS Group On behalf of NDPS Group, Nikki J. Garner, Melanie Pascale, Kalman France, Clare Ferns, Allan Clark, Sara Auckland, Michael Sampson, Max Bachmann, Garry Barton, Ketan Dhatariya, Colin Greaves, Martin Hadley-Brown, Amanda Howe, Lisa Irvine, Garry John, Rebecca Usher, David Rea, Jane Smith, Jeremy TurnerTara Wallace

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Abstract

Objective: Intensive lifestyle interventions reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in populations at highest risk, but staffing levels are usually unable to meet the challenge of delivering effective prevention strategies to a very large at-risk population. Training volunteers with existing type 2 diabetes to support healthcare professionals deliver lifestyle interventions is an attractive option. Methods: We identified 141 973 people at highest risk of diabetes in the East of England, screened 12 778, and randomized 1764 into a suite of type 2 diabetes prevention and screen detected type 2 diabetes management trials. A key element of the program tested the value of volunteers with type 2 diabetes, trained to act as diabetes prevention mentors (DPM) when added to an intervention arm delivered by healthcare professionals trained to support participant lifestyle change. Results: We invited 9951 people with type 2 diabetes to become DPM and 427 responded (4.3%). Of these, 356 (83.3%) were interviewed by phone, and of these 131 (36.8%) were interviewed in person. We then appointed 104 of these 131 interviewed applicants (79%) to the role (mean age 62 years, 55% (n=57) male). All DPMs volunteered for a total of 2895 months, and made 6879 telephone calls to 461 randomized participants. Seventy-six (73%) DPMs volunteered for at least 6 months and 66 (73%) for at least 1 year. Discussion: Individuals with type 2 diabetes can be recruited, trained and retained as DPM in large numbers to support a group-based diabetes prevention program delivered by healthcare professionals. This volunteer model is low cost, and accesses the large type 2 diabetes population that shares a lifestyle experience with the target population. This is an attractive model for supporting diabetes prevention efforts.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere000619
Number of pages11
JournalBMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care
Volume7
Issue number1
Early online date27 May 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2019

Keywords

  • type 2 diabetes prevention

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