Training At-Risk Youth to Become Diabetes Self-management Coaches for Family Members Partnering Family Medicine Residents With Underserved Schools

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a school-based health program in which family medicine residents trained healthy at-risk adolescents to become diabetes self-management coaches for family members with diabetes.MethodsA mixed methods study included 97 adolescents from 3 San Francisco Bay Area high schools serving primarily ethnic minority youth of low socioeconomic status. Physicians came to schools once a week for 8 weeks and trained 49 adolescents to become coaches. Student coaches and 48 nonparticipant students completed pre- and posttest intervention questionnaires, and 15 student coaches and 9 family members with diabetes gave in-depth interviews after participation. Linear regression was used to determine differences in knowledge and psychosocial assets on pre- and posttests between student coaches and nonparticipant students, and NVIVO was used to analyze interview transcripts.ResultsAfter controlling for initial score, sex, grade, and ethnicity, student coaches improved...