Experiences and preferences of Hispanic men in the National Diabetes Prevention Program: a qualitative study guided...

This qualitative study aims to explore the experiences and preferences of Hispanic men participating in the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP), an intensive lifestyle change intervention that effectively reduces diabetes risk, considering Hispanic men experience diabetes disproportionately yet remain underrepresented in the NDPP.

Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted over the phone in English or Spanish between June 2023 and February 2024. Transcripts were analysed using a framework analysis.

17 Hispanic men engaged in the NDPP for ≥4 sessions. The majority were foreign-born (n=11) and self-identified as English proficient (n=11).

Through three major themes, Hispanic men reflected on their experiences: (1) Going into the NDPP: despite not knowing what to expect from the NDPP, their fear of diabetes motivated them to enrol in the programme; (2) During the NDPP: they felt relief from gaining critical knowledge about diet, exercise and diabetes prevention; and finally (3) Impressions of the NDPP: they appreciated the NDPP's informational resources, personalised coaching, group format and acknowledgement of traditional cultural diets and found men-only groups often offered additional emotional safety but had mixed feelings about the programme's virtual format.

Findings suggest that Hispanic men appreciate the knowledge and skills attained from the NDPP and value its resources, group format, culturally-tailored content and gender-tailored structure. Recruitment efforts may benefit from emphasising how the programme reduces uncertainty about prediabetes and from more clearly conveying the structure of the programme. Strategies to improve sustained engagement should consider how to feasibly offer delivery formats that accommodate diverse preferences.