Grant: Project Grant

Six million Canadians are at risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Without lifestyle changes, one-third of these Canadians will develop T2D within 3-5 years. Although engaging in regular physical activity (PA) is one of the most effective ways to reduce T2D risk, increasing PA is challenging and requires ongoing self-management (e.g., planning, goal-setting). Further, people at risk for T2D often experience negative emotions (e.g., guilt, distress) that can make it even more challenging for them to engage in PA because these emotions interfere with self-management. People who are self-compassionate, that is, kind to themselves in difficult times, are good at self-managing; they prioritize their health, respond to challenges with less distress, and engage in helpful processes such as planning and goal-setting. Therefore, self-compassion (SC) would be an asset for people at risk for T2D who face the challenge of increasing their PA in the midst of a health threat. No research has examined whether teaching people at risk for T2D to use SC helps them self-manage and increase their PA. We plan to examine this in our study. People at risk for T2D will learn about their T2D risk and strategies to increase their PA, which represents the recommended information that people at risk for T2D should receive. In addition to this, some participants, but not all, will be taught to be self-compassionate in relation to their T2D risk and their efforts to increase their PA. We expect that people who receive the additional training about how to be self-compassionate will engage in more PA than people who do not and they will do so because of SC's positive effect on aspects of self-management - adaptive reactions and a tendency to use strong self-management skills. This study is important for health promotion because it allows us to determine if we can improve how we currently help people prevent T2D through engaging in PA.