Public involvement in the design and delivery of a diabetes risk reduction lifestyle intervention for people of South Asian origin

2012 Conference

Abstract:

Theme or key issue: People of South Asian origin are four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than their non-South Asian counterparts. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is known to greatly reduce the risk of developing T2DM however many people find this difficult to do. We set out to design and test a South Asian community-informed way of supporting this group to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Summary (including info about public involvement): First, we found out what people of South Asian origin knew about their risk of developing T2DM and what sociocultural factors would help or hinder their uptake of preventive lifestyle changes. We then developed a community-based lifestyle change intervention that would be led by South Asian volunteers, and a training course to teach them to both deliver the lifestyle intervention and collect research data on it.

What we hope people will learn: We will describe in detail our experience of including community members in the research process, and the lessons learned along the way.

The issues we will raise for discussion: Several aspects of this study warrant discussion, including the concept of volunteerism in the delivery of, rather than passive participation in, research.