6. Define Engagement Strategies

Engagement Goals and Strategies

Setting engagement goals reinforces the connection between ongoing program participation and program outcomes. The National DPP lifestyle change program is a year-long program that consists of 16 weekly sessions followed by monthly meetings. Participation in the National DPP lifestyle change program can be described as a dose-response relationship. Similar to taking an antibiotic, there is limited value in just attending one or two sessions, but a greater cumulative effect if there is ongoing participation. For this reason, it’s important to periodically gather information on the percentage of employees who are participating regularly and adjust your engagement strategies as needed. You can encourage participant engagement in several ways, including offering incentives, supporting flexible program delivery options, hosting promotional activities, providing personalized follow-up, and creating a network of program champions.

You may want to consider providing incentives to employees for participating in the National DPP lifestyle change program. Incentives have been shown to be useful in encouraging continued attendance and participation. Incentives have also been associated with participants losing weight, maintaining their weight, and increasing their physical activity level.

There are many types of incentives you can consider, including:

  • Cash incentives.
  • Noncash financial incentives, such as gift cards, vouchers, and insurance premium discounts.
  • Nonfinancial incentives, such as scales, measuring cups, gym memberships, and pedometers.

When considering whether to use incentives, think about the needs of your employees and your budget. Think about how often you will provide incentives and whether they align with your program goals. You may want to offer them after participants attend a certain number of sessions or lose a certain percentage of weight.

For more information, see CDC’s Emerging Practices: A Guide for Using Incentives to Enroll and Retain Participants in the National Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Change Program.

 

The National DPP lifestyle change program is a year-long program, and many things can happen over the course of a year. Factors like family commitments, transportation limitations, and travel for work can make it challenging for employees to participate and stay engaged.

Think about ways to address the barriers that your employees may face. For example, you can offer make-up sessions by phone for participants who miss a session. You can record sessions so participants don’t miss the content. If location or distance is a barrier, you may need to reconsider where the program is offered or use approved virtual delivery options to make participation more convenient.

If you are contracting with a CDC-recognized organization to provide the National DPP lifestyle change program, work with them to determine roles and responsibilities for program engagement. Review considerations for selecting and contracting with a CDC-recognized organization.

Make sure employees are staying engaged throughout the program.  Encourage the Lifestyle Coach to find ways to connect personally with participants and support them both in and outside of class to keep them focused on their lifestyle change goals.

Work with your program provider or Lifestyle Coach to offer interactive activities, like healthy cooking classes or guest speakers. Make sure the Lifestyle Coach is following up with participants outside of class through personalized calls or texts or other types of check-in methods.

You can also set up social media groups to help participants connect with each other or past participants. Your employees might also benefit from peer support from other participants. This can include structured support, such as planned check-ins from other participants, and unstructured support, such as informal conversations outside of class.  Share CDC’s Imagine You Preventing Type 2 campaign to connect employees to others who have benefitted from the National DPP lifestyle change program.

Program champions in your organization who have successfully completed the program can help encourage and motivate your employees. Champions can come from any level of your organization. They just need to believe in the program and be excited to share their success with others.