Exploring women’s experiences in a prediabetes community-based exercise intervention

Dr. Bean will explore women’s experiences throughout their participation in the Small Steps for Big Changes lifestyle counseling program, a community-based exercise intervention for individuals who are living with prediabetes. Interviews with participating women will provide an understanding of women’s attitudes, beliefs, experiences and behaviours related to engaging in a lifestyle community program, in order to best understand the facilitators and barriers to intervention engagement and completion, as well as exercise adherence over the course of one year. 

Women who have been diagnosed as prediabetic but do not have access to a community-based intervention will be interviewed in order to also understand these women’s attitudes, beliefs, experiences and behaviours over the course of the same year. This will help understand the influences and impacts of the intervention program, as well as understand if there is a need for more resources for these prediabetic women. 

Dr. Bean’s research will address several gaps in the current literature, including adopting a qualitative and longitudinal approach and attaining an in-depth understanding of the efficacy of community-based exercise interventions specifically for women. Her findings will be adapted into community learning sessions, which will provide an opportunity for a community of practice to develop for women involved in this study in which they can learn from each other’s experiences.