INSPIRing Action to Prevent Diabetes (INSPIRA): Rationale and description of a pilot intervention combining peer support and food voucher incentives to increase engagement in a community health worker-led diabetes prevention program.

Heisler M, Quiroga G, Valbuena F, Resnicow K, Stoll S, Griauzde DH, Hofer T, Kullgren JT. INSPIRing Action to Prevent Diabetes (INSPIRA): Rationale and description of a pilot intervention combining peer support and food voucher incentives to increase engagement in a community health worker-led diabetes prevention program. Contemporary clinical trials. 2025 Aug 1; 155:107971, DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107971.

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Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Engagement in Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPPs) helps prevent or delay progression to type 2 diabetes, but engagement in these is low, especially among low-income and Black or Latina/o adults. While financial incentives can increase engagement, offering these is not feasible for safety net health systems. The INSPIRA Study is thus assessing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a program that supplements a community health worker (CHW)-led DPP with mutual peer support and healthy food vouchers as incentives for engagement. DESIGN: Single site pilot randomized trial. SETTING: A federally qualified health center that serves predominantly Latina/o adults. PARTICIPANTS: 142 adults with prediabetes and BMI = 25 kg/m2. INTERVENTIONS: Participants are randomized to either a 6-month version of a CHW-led DPP or to the INSPIRA intervention that supplements a six-month CHW-led DPP group with being matched with a peer partner in the same DPP cohort and the opportunity to earn weekly healthy food vouchers for attending that week''s DPP session. Peer partners who both engage in at least one peer support call with each other and attend that week''s session each earn double the amount in food vouchers ("yoked incentives"). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Between-group differences in number of weekly sessions attended and changes in weight. Surveys and interviews will assess acceptability and feasibility. Changes in A1c, waist circumference, diet quality, and parameters for sample size calculations for a larger RCT will also be examined. DISCUSSION: This pilot will inform a longer-term trial to evaluate both effectiveness and implementation of INSPIRA in clinical practice.