Experiences of people with prediabetes in a self-compassion and physical activity intervention: a qualitative study using participatory Theme Elicitation

Having a Type 2 Diabetes risk (i.e. prediabetes) is a call to action for health behaviour change. Physical activity can reduce one’s diabetes risk, but difficult emotions, stigma, and lack of support can prevent people with prediabetes from getting active. Self-compassion is a psychological resource that may help people cope with prediabetes and increase their physical activity. The MOVE IT program is an 8-week videoconferencing intervention that teaches people with prediabetes self-compassion and physical activity behaviour change strategies. This qualitative study aimed to explore how participants in the MOVE IT program used self-compassion to cope with their prediabetes and increase their physical activity. Participant discussions from fourteen group-based MOVE IT sessions were transcribed verbatim, representing N = 14 participants (Mage = 54 years, SDage = 7 years; 100% women). Participatory Theme Elicitation (a participatory qualitative analysis) was conducted in collaboration with five ‘Person With Lived Experience’ co-researchers who had previously completed the MOVE IT self-compassion program. Four themes were generated showing how participants mindfully reflected on their current behaviours and identified opportunities for growth (Theme 1), used self-kindness to cope with physical activity setbacks (Theme 2), took self-compassionate action to work through challenges (Theme 3), and eventually embraced self-compassion (Theme 4). By qualitatively examining participants’ experiences, this study advances the understanding of how self-compassion can be operationalised in real-world behaviour change interventions, providing insight into both the emotional and action-oriented pathways through which self-compassion supports health behaviour change among individuals with prediabetes.