ABSTRACT
People with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are offered attendance at diabetes self-management education courses to provide them with skills for self-management of flexible insulin dose adjustment. Attendance is poor, even when courses are evidence-based and nationally available. To understand barriers to attendance, we sought common characteristics of nonattenders from adults with T1DM living in south London. Twenty-five in person semistructured interviews were carried out until thematic saturation occurred. Thematic framework analysis identified six themes: psychological capability, numerical capability, internal/external judgment, confidence in self, thirst for knowledge, and barriers to attendance. Characterization of response profiles according to the themes identified four different typologies. These identified typologies and themes for barriers to attending diabetes self-management courses suggest strategies to improve attendance and extend the benefit of such courses more widely.
