Table 4.

Themes and example quotes from exit interviews with PWDs

Coaching: Helped PWD set realistic achievable goals while enhancing accountability and support

Helped set realistic and achievable goals in ways not previously experienced:

"I had a lot of goals and didn’t know where to start... The coaching really helped me sort out my goals and find realistic ones and just feel like 1 had a support system."

"I've never actually set so many goals with my endocrinologist...it was cool to have those coaching sessions and...have like a goal to work towards."

Enhanced accountability and problem-solving:

"You knew you had someone that you needed to report back to. It made me much more cognizant of when things were helpful and when they weren’t."

"Just being able to talk just about situations and problems that I'm having related to diabetes. Being able to find necessary yet, I guess compromisable ways to approach it that will be achievable."

Increased support:

"I loved how supportive [the coach] was with my goals... very uplifting and supportive of where I was at."

Text messages to PWD: Provided reminders, accountability, and motivation to make diabetes goals a priority

Reminder to prioritize diabetes goal:

“Having a daily text forces you to have it on your mind more often, and it just becomes a habit."

"I used them more as like a reminder. I wanted them sent around lunch...my goal was to dose and check my blood sugar at lunch time."

Automated texts were supportive and motivating:

"They never felt pushy or negative...it was like 100% supportive."

"Just the kind of constant like motivation...you got this...keep on your goal."

End of day texts held PWD accountable to diabetes goal:

"I knew I was going to be asked if I met the goal and that motivated me to actually meet the goal."

"Accountability at the end of the day. Like...did you do [your goal?]... I was kind of like oh, why didn’t I do it? This came up, this came up. How can I prevent that from happening?"

Texts from coach were personal and supportive: "I really liked that...I wasn’t just getting messages from an automated thing" "Reminder [that] I do have support. There are people wanting to help me and I'm capable of doing it"

FAMS-T1D increased openness to disclosing diabetes needs to family and friends and soliciting help

More open to disclosing and receiving help:

"It helped me realize they're interested in helping me with it. It’s not like this big, scary thing that I have to be embarrassed about talking to people."

"I was more confident and willing to reach out to people and more open about it."

Engaged with others in new ways:

"In the past I would just ignore [annoying comments]. Over the past 3 months, I've been proactive about...explaining why what they said was annoying to me"

"It forced me to have the conversation with [husband], 'This is what I want you to help me with. This is how I want you to do it, but don’t be overwhelming or overbearing about it.'"

Components of FAMS-T1D worked individually and in combination to enhance dialogue and support

Coaching showed value of asking for help and being held accountable to doing so:

"Talking to my coach showed me... there's a lot of people out there that are willing and wanting to support me through this journey with diabetes."

"Being held accountable for it... She’d always ask me if I had talked to anyone else."

Text messages to SP provided opportunities for support:

"Texts helped prompt the discussion...If you get a text while just hanging out, it gives you the opportunity to bring it up."

"The other party that was involved with it was getting text messages also. So, it was kind of - it wasn’t just like a one-sided thing. It was on both sides....the texts were really helpful in kind of keeping that conversation going to remind both parties.

Text messages and coaching worked in combination:

"Whenever I got a text... it helped bring me back to the goals I had set. When talking to my coach, usually I was told to maybe bring [my goal] up to my mom or somebody else. And so, I kind of pictured that as part of the goal...it just kind of came full circle."

"I might not particularly want to reach out too much because you might feel like 'oh, your diabetes is like your thing to control.' But then the texts were there as a reminder... some people were actually trying to help you and they can definitely support you. The coaching also helped...each session had a little homework...tell a couple of people about your goal...that was definitely helpful."

Rare codes reported by <10% of sample are not reported.