Opportunities for interventions that address socioeconomic barriers to type 2 diabetes management: Patient perspectives

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore patient perspectives on socioeconomic barriers related to diabetes self-management and interventions to address these barriers. Methods: Focus groups (n = 8) were conducted with a diverse sample of adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D; n = 53). Researchers used a semistructured moderator guide; focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Researchers employed the constant comparison method for qualitative content analysis and utilized Atlas.ti (Version 8.1.1) to digitalize the analytic process. Results: Findings revealed 3 primary themes: (1) Existing food and nutrition resources are insufficient to support healthy eating for diabetes; (2) healthy eating is critical for diabetes management, but socioeconomic circumstances make doing so challenging; and (3) participants supported several broad categories of preferred intervention strategies. First, they endorsed lifestyle intervention informed by socioeconomic status (SES; eg, focusing on food resource management, sensitive health coaching and nutritional counseling). Next, they expressed enthusiasm for group-based learning opportunities, such as cooking classes and support groups with similar SES peers. Finally, they suggested healthy food access resources. Conclusions: Participant suggestions should be incorporated into intervention development. Ultimately, these interventional strategies should be tested and refined to help improve health for individuals with type 2 diabetes.