ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Petranea Smith, MPH; Jasmine Warren, MPH; Julian Martinez, PhD, MPH; Mario Bueno; Dominga Taveras; Dilenia Cruz; Roberta E. Goldman, PhD; Joanne Wilkinson, MD, MSc
Corresponding Author: Joanne Wilkinson, MD, MSc; Department of Family Medicine, Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University.
Email: jwilkmd@gmail.com
DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2025.250422R1
Keywords: Chronic Disease Management, Community-Based Participatory Research, Culturally Sensitive Research, Diabetes, Qualitative Research
Dates: Submitted: 11/1/2025; Accepted: 4/27/2026
Status: In Press.
BACKGROUND: The newer therapies for diabetes (GLP-1 medications, continuous glucose monitors and low-carbohydrate diets) have shown improved outcomes in diabetes management, but have lower uptake among urban Spanish-speaking patients. We undertook a qualitative study to explore potential barriers and facilitators to uptake in a population of urban Spanish-speaking food pantry recipients.
METHODS: We recruited participants from a weekly food pantry coordinated by a community partner. Semi structured interviews were conducted, recorded and auto-transcribed at the food pantry, and analyzed by the research team using the immersion-crystallization method.
RESULTS: Participants endorsed a strong desire to customize their diabetes treatment individually, and named several important aspects to their treatment: natural remedies, mental health optimization, dietary modification, and physician-prescribed medication if the trust and rapport with the provider were high. Participants also endorsed seeking health information online, primarily from Spanish-speaking influencers.
CONCLUSIONS: Providers and researchers should understand the importance of individualizing and personalizing language around proposed diabetes therapy, and listen carefully to patients’ explanatory models when making treatment plans.