Development of Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles for Diabetes, a culturally tailored diabetes self-management education and support programme for Black-British adults: A participatory research approach

Aims To develop an evidence-based, culturally tailored, diabetes self-management education and support programme for Black-British adults, called Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles for Diabetes (HEAL-D), using participatory methods to engage key stakeholders in the intervention design process. Methods Black-British adults living with type 2 diabetes, healthcare professionals and community leaders were engaged in an intervention development study. The intervention structure, format, content and delivery were developed through three phases of participatory research: Phase 1, formative research, involved focus groups and interviews; interactive co-development workshops were conducted in Phase 2; and Phase 3 focused on materials development. Results In Phase 1, focus groups and interviews identified the importance of nurturing collectivism, a reliance on informal sources of information/advice, barriers to attending appointments associated with competing priorities of work, travel and carer commitments, and a preference for directness and simple, clear advice/messages. A priority for healthcare professionals was the intervention embedding within current primary care structures and aligning with incentivised targets/metrics. Phase 2 (workshops) highlighted key requirements: avoidance of medical settings, appropriately trained and culturally knowledgeable educators, flexible appointments, preference for verbal and visual information and avoidance of technical/medical terminology. In Phase 3 (materials development), culturally sensitive videos, short films and information booklets were developed to convey educational messages, and food photography was used to provide culturally relevant dietary advice. Conclusions Participatory methods provide a means to understand the needs of specific communities. This approach enables the development of healthcare interventions that are sensitive to the needs of service users and providers.