Getting through to health care providers: Using social marketing to engage health care providers in community-based diabetes prevention lifestyle programs

Background: In 2010 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the rollout of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, which is designed to bring evidence-based structured lifestyle interventions for preventing type 2 diabetes to communities. Like other health programs, awareness of and referral by Health Care Providers (HCPs) has posed a challenge. HCPs are in a position to screen people for prediabetes and then refer them into a structured lifestyle program.

Methods: Social marketing methods were used to develop specific materials to increase screening and referrals by HCPs as part of a larger promotional toolkit. Interviews with existing and potential lifestyle programs confirmed the important role HCPs play in identifying people at risk, and encouraging them to enroll in the program. Reviews of empirical and theoretical literature suggested possible approaches for motivating this audience to take action. Focus groups were conducted in three U.S. cities with non-physician providers, i.e. (nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, diabetes educators, etc.) and 20 individual phone interviews with physicians were conducted to test various concepts and approaches.

Results and discussion: Communication theory and collective secondary research suggested testing message approaches that address urgency, threat, self-efficacy, outcome efficacy, peer support, and recognition for both physicians and other healthcare professionals. This presentation will describe lessons learned from working with HCPs based on focus group responses and secondary research, as well as show current components of the toolkit.