Wellness Coaching to Improve Lifestyle Behaviors Among Adults With Prediabetes: Patients’ Experience and Perceptions to Participation

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BACKGROUND: Health and Wellness Coaching has been shown to enhance treatment outcomes in the primary care setting. However, little is known about the experience and perceptions of patients who worked with a wellness coach as an integrated member of their primary health-care team. OBJECTIVE: This project assessed patients' experience and obtained their perceptions on barriers and facilitators to participation in a primary care-based wellness coaching program. METHOD: A survey was mailed to 99 primary care patients with prediabetes who participated in a 12-week wellness coaching program. RESULTS: Sixty-two (63%) completed the survey; responders felt that participation in the wellness coaching program helped move them toward healthier lifestyle behavior and created a personal vision of wellness. Major themes associated with participation were supportive coaching relationship, increased self-accountability, increased goal-setting, and healthy behavior strategies. No significant barrier to participation was reported. CONCLUSION: Participants reported highly positive experience with the program; how to best integrate health and wellness coaching into the primary care setting needs to be explored.

A 12-week primary care-based wellness coaching program for prediabetes patients was well-received, fostering supportive relationships, self-accountability, and goal-setting without significant barriers.