“I Kept Coming for the Love”

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the study was to investigate how retention strategies employed by the Diabetes Empowerment Program (DEP) contributed to retention. Methods An experienced moderator conducted in-depth interviews (n = 7) and 4 focus groups (n = 29) with former DEP participants. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using iteratively modified coding guidelines. Results were analyzed using Atlas.ti 4.2 software. Results Participants were African American and predominantly female, low income, and with more than 1 diabetes complication. Key retention themes included: (1) educator characteristics and interpersonal skills (“The warmth of the staff . . . kept me coming back for more.”), (2) accessible information (“I didn’t know anything about diabetes [before]. I was just given the medicine.”), (3) social support (“I realized I wasn’t the only one who has diabetes.”), (4) the use of narrative (“It’s enlightening to talk about [my diabetes].”), and (5) the African American helping tradition (“I went not just for myself but for my husband.”). Conclusions While many interventions focus on costly logistics and incentives to retain at-risk participants, study findings suggest that utilizing culturally tailored curricula and emphasizing interpersonal skills and social support may be more effective strategies to retain low-income African Americans in diabetes education programs.