Background: There is limited literature evaluating the impact of disseminating research results to past research study participants and their families. The purpose of the study was to evaluate whether disseminating results from a diabetes prevention program to past participants and their families facilitates motivation to engage in healthier behaviors. Methods: Previous youth participants from the “Every Little Step Counts” study were contacted and invited to a community dissemination event in November of 2022 at a local YMCA in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. All individuals in attendance at the event were invited to complete a 10-item questionnaire following a presentation about diabetes and the study results. 10 youth past participants, 9 adult past participants, and 13 community members completed the questionnaire to assess whether dissemination of past study results increases motivation to engage in healthier behaviors. Results: Aggregate responses revealed a 28.43% increase in motivation to eat healthier and a 33.45% increase in motivation to increase exercise. An increase in average response frequency was evident amongst all figures, indicating that overall, dissemination of research results was found to increase motivation to engage in healthier behaviors across community members, adult participants, and youth participants. Conclusions: This study supports the importance of disseminating research results from a diabetes prevention program to past participants in order to reinforce and maintain behavior change skills taught throughout the study, with the long-term goal of reducing type 2 diabetes risk in youth.

This project aimed to identify barriers to participation and develop strategies to increase the accessibility of a diabetes prevention program in the Latino community. Surveys were administered to past participants of a randomized control trial at a community event where study results were shared. The top concerns expressed by respondents were related to the use of personal information. Primary barriers to participation included work/school commitments and transportation issues. Strategies to increase accessibility included providing flexible class times, having bilingual research staff, and using multiple forms of community outreach such as flyers, health events, phone calls, texts, and social media. Expanding community partners was also identified as a primary strategy for increasing program reach. Researchers should focus on addressing confidentiality concerns, providing financial compensation for attendance, flexible scheduling, and utilizing diverse outreach methods to enhance access to diabetes prevention programs in the Latino community