Assessing Preliminary Implementation Outcomes of a Lifestyle Medicine Intervention

Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based, whole-person care approach that uses comprehensive health behavior interventions to prevent and manage chronic disease. Dissemination and implementation (D&I) science, a systematic approach to identifying the barriers and facilitators in health intervention implementation, can advance the translation of lifestyle medicine interventions into clinical and community practice. However, very little is known about the implementation factors that influence the success and scalability of lifestyle medicine in real-world settings. This qualitative study assessed the preliminary implementation of a promising group-based lifestyle medicine program (PAVING the Path to Wellness). A total of 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with program facilitators and participants to assess preliminary implementation outcomes and explore key contextual factors using well-established D&I frameworks. Iterative thematic and framework analyses revealed high program adoption, engagement, and acceptability among program facilitators and participants, along with several potential barriers to feasibility and sustainability. The novel findings of this study provide considerations for key contextual factors impacting implementation, such as the inner setting, and provide a blueprint for integrating D&I research into lifestyle medicine and health promotion interventions to promote scalability in practice.