Should I Take Prediabetes Seriously or Not: A Qualitative Study on People's Perceptions of Prediabetes

It is critical to ensure that lifestyle change programs are tailored to the person with prediabetes needs and wishes. However, programs that are carried out in research settings to delay or prevent Type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes do not translate easily to everyday settings. There is a need to explore further the perceptions of people with prediabetes about the condition and their role in self-management to better balance the content of intervention programs for prediabetes with the participants' life context and experience. For this purpose, we invited 21 persons with prediabetes from four primary healthcare centers in Region Stockholm, Sweden, for individual interviews. Transcripts were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Two main themes were identified, prediabetes: a condition between health and disease and I must manage prediabetes myself but need support. This in-between state has a serious impact on the decisions that people with prediabetes make concerning self-management and behavioral changes. One of the main findings of this study highlights the importance of communicating the diagnosis of prediabetes clearly and the importance of preventive actions as this can trigger behavioral change. People with prediabetes in our study shed light on different needs for support to make and maintain behavioral change which requires a person-centered approach. This support was described internally, from family and peers, or externally from healthcare professionals. These results will be used in a codesign study where healthcare professionals and persons with prediabetes discuss the components of a person-centered model for a behavioral change intervention in primary healthcare.