Establishing an online HIV peer helping programme: A review of process challenges and lessons learned

Abstract

Background: Online peer support can be a valuable approach to helping people living with HIV, especially in regions with large rural populations and relatively centralised HIV services. Design: This paper focuses on a community -university partnership aimed at developing an online peer support programme in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Setting: Team members included community representatives and people living with HIV from the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador (ACNL) as well as academic researchers. Objectives: Goals and objectives of the programme included reaching disconnected people living with HIV, reducing isolation among people living with HIV and connecting people living with HIV with support, education and professional resources. Method and Results: Through a process orientated and iterative decision-making approach, the team established the website, peer helping training curriculum, a recruitment plan as well as other core considerations. The current paper emphasises several process challenges and lessons learned from the development stage of the online support programme. Conclusion: It is hoped that this information will assist others in avoiding or overcoming similar process challenges arising during such work.

Evaluation of a peer support intervention to improve the breakfast habits of Japanese college students

“…Peer education has been defined as the provision of emotional, evaluative and informational support by members of a created social network who have experiential knowledge of specific behaviours or stressors and characteristics similar to those of the target population to address health-related problems (Dennis, 2003). The significance of peer support has been identified in previous research on diverse health behaviours including smoking cessation (Stead et al, 2017), weight loss (Borek et al, 2018), safe hygiene practices (Waterkeyn and Waterkeyn, 2013), and support for people with HIV (Harris et al, 2015). Hence, peer support interventions may be effective in improving breakfast habits and other health behaviours.…”