Promises and Pitfalls of Dyads in the National Diabetes Prevention Program: Lifestyle Coach Perspectives.

Purpose: To describe Lifestyle Coach perceptions of dyads (i.e., family members and/or friends) in the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP).

Design: Qualitative evaluation of cross-sectional survey responses.

Setting: Online.

Participants: Lifestyle Coaches (n=253) with experience teaching at least one in-person year-long NDPP cohort at a CDC-recognized organization.

Measures: Survey included items on background and experience with dyadic approach, as well as open-ended items on the benefits and challenges observed when working with dyads in the NDPP.

Analysis: Lifestyle Coach background and experience were analyzed descriptively in SPSS. Open-ended responses were content coded in ATLAS.ti using qualitative description, and then grouped into categories.

Results: Most Lifestyle Coaches (n=210; 83.0%) reported experience delivering the NDPP to dyads. Benefits of a dyadic approach included having a partner in lifestyle change, superior outcomes and increased engagement, and positive "ripple effects." Challenges included difficult relationship dynamics, differences between dyad members, negative "ripple effects," and logistics.

Conclusion: Lifestyle Coaches described a number of benefits, as well as some challenges, with a dyadic approach to the NDPP. Given the concordance between close others in lifestyle and other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, utilizing a dyadic approach in the NDPP has the potential to increase engagement, improve outcomes, and extend the reach of the program.