Coping Skills Training in a Telephone Health Coaching Program for Youth at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction: The purpose of this article is to describe components of a health coaching intervention based on coping skills training delivered via telephone. This intervention was provided to urban adolescents at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), reinforcing a school-based curriculum designed to promote a healthy lifestyle and prevent T2DM. Method: Health coaching via telephone was provided to at- risk urban youth enrolled in a study of an intervention to reduce risk for T2DM. Vignettes are used to describe the use of several coping skills in this high-risk youth population. Results: A variety of vignettes illustrate how telephone health coaching reinforced lifestyle changes in students by incorporating coping skills training. Discussion: Given the benefits and the challenges of the telephone health coaching intervention, several suggestions for others who plan to use a similar method are described.