Peer interventions to promote health: Conceptual considerations.

Simoni, Jane M.; Franks, Julie; Lehavot, Keren; Yard, Samantha

doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01103.x

Cited by 211 publications

(209 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Peer support has long been described as 'a method in search of a theory' 4 and a recent revisiting of the theoretical basis notes that the research still remains largely theoretical. 148 Simoni et al 148 have mapped theoretical constructs to various types of peer-support interventions, for example education-based interventions; social support …”

Section: Identifying Candidate Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can community-based peer support promote health literacy and reduce inequalities? A realist review

Harris

Springett

Croot

et al. 2015

Public Health Research

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BackgroundCommunity-based peer support (CBPS) has been proposed as a potentially promising approach to improve health literacy (HL) and reduce health inequalities. Peer support, however, is described as a public health intervention in search of a theory, and as yet there are no systematic reviews exploring why or how peer support works to improve HL.ObjectiveTo undertake a participatory realist synthesis to develop a better understanding of the potential for CBPS to promote better HL and reduce health inequalities.Data sourcesQualitative evidence syntheses, conceptual reviews and primary studies evaluating peer-support programmes; related studies that informed theoretical or contextual elements of the studies of interest were included. We conducted searches covering 1975 to October 2011 across Scopus, Global Health (including MEDLINE), ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database (PQDT) [including the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Social Work Abstracts], The King’s Fund Database and Web of Knowledge, and the Institute of Development Studies supplementary strategies were used for the identification of grey literature. We developed a new approach to searching called ‘cluster searching’, which uses a variety of search techniques to identify papers or other research outputs that relate to a single study.Study eligibility criteriaStudies written in English describing CBPS research/evaluation, and related papers describing theory, were included.Study appraisal and synthesis methodsStudies were selected on the basis of relevance in the first instance. We first analysed within-programme articulation of theory and appraised for coherence. Cross-programme analysis was used to configure relationships among context, mechanisms and outcomes. Patterns were then identified and compared with theories relevant to HL and health inequalities to produce a middle-range theory.ResultsThe synthesis indicated that organisations, researchers and health professionals that adopt an authoritarian design for peer-support programmes risk limiting the ability of peer supporters (PSs) to exercise autonomy and use their experiential knowledge to deliver culturally tailored support. Conversely, when organisations take a negotiated approach to codesigning programmes, PSs are enabled to establish meaningful relationships with people in socially vulnerable groups. CBPS is facilitated when organisations prioritise the importance of assessing community needs; investigate root causes of poor health and well-being; allow adequate time for development of relationships and connections; value experiential cultural knowledge; and share power and control during all stages of design and implementation. The theory now needs to be empirically tested via further primary research.LimitationsAnalysis and synthesis were challenged by a lack of explicit links between peer support for marginalised groups and health inequalities; explicitly stated programme theory; inconsistent reporting of context and mechanism; poor reporting of intermediate process outcomes; and the use of theories aimed at individual-level behaviour change for community-based interventions.ConclusionsPeer-support programmes have the potential to improve HL and reduce health inequalities but potential is dependent upon the surrounding equity context. More explicit empirical research is needed, which establishes clearer links between peer-supported HL and health inequalities.Study registrationThis study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42012002297.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.

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Section: Identifying Candidate Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can community-based peer support promote health literacy and reduce inequalities? A realist review

Harris

Springett

Croot

et al. 2015

Public Health Research

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“…The extent to which different sources of information may influence viewer perceptions and physical activity and eating behaviors is unknown. Peers and experts are likely viewed differently in terms of credibility with experts having content knowledge, and peers having more social credibility and real-life understanding of the challenges faced in adopting new health behaviors (e.g., Simoni, Franks, Lehavot, & Yard, 2011). Both types of credibility seem to be important for health behavior change (e.g., Hopfer, 2012;Simoni et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Losing Weight on Reality TV: A Content Analysis of the Weight Loss Behaviors and Practices Portrayed onThe Biggest Loser

Klos

Greenleaf

Paly

et al. 2015

Journal of Health Communication

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A number of weight loss-related reality television programs chronicle the weight loss experience of obese individuals in a competitive context. Although highly popular, such shows may misrepresent the behavior change necessary to achieve substantial weight loss. A systematic, quantitative content analysis of Seasons 10-13 (n = 66 episodes) of The Biggest Loser was conducted to determine the amount of time and number of instances that diet, physical activity, or other weight management strategies were presented. The average episode was 78.8 ± 15.7 min in length. Approximately 33.3% of an episode, representing 1,121 segments, portrayed behavioral weight management-related content. Within the episode time devoted to weight management content, 85.2% was related to physical activity, 13.5% to diet, and 1.2% to other. Recent seasons of The Biggest Loser suggest that substantial weight loss is achieved primarily through physical activity, with little emphasis on modifying diet and eating behavior. Although physical activity can impart substantial metabolic health benefits, it may be difficult to create enough of an energy deficit to induce significant weight loss in the real world. Future studies should examine the weight loss attitudes and behaviors of obese individuals and health professionals after exposure to reality television shows focused on weight loss.

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“…While peer-based interventions have shown promise in public health [72][73][74][75], their efficacy for HIV prevention has been limited in vulnerable populations [22,23]. The use of digital technologies to compile social network data and the application of formal social network analysis to identify PCAs may improve the efficacy of interventions [23,40].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Partially-Observed Facebook Networks to Develop a Peer-Based HIV Prevention Intervention: Case Study (Preprint)

Khanna¹,

Goodreau²,

Michaels³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Background: This is a case study from an HIV prevention project among young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). Individual-level prevention interventions have had limited success among YBMSM, a population that is disproportionately affected by HIV; peer networkbased interventions are a promising alternative. Facebook is an attractive digital platform because it provides the ability to broadly characterize social networks. There are, however, several challenges in using Facebook data for peer interventions, including the large size of Facebook networks, difficulty in assessing appropriate methods to identify candidate PCAs, boundary specification issues, and partial observation of social network data.Objective: We aim to explore methodological challenges in using social Facebook networks to design peer network-based interventions for HIV prevention, and present techniques to overcome these challenges.Methods: Our sample contained 298 "uConnect" study respondents who answered a biobehavioral survey in person and whose Facebook friend lists were downloaded (2013)(2014). The study participants had over 180,000 total Facebook friends who were not involved in the study ("nonrespondents"); we did not observe friendships between these nonrespondents. Given the large number of nonrespondents whose networks were partially observed, a relational boundary was specified to select nonrespondents who were "well connected" to the study respondents and who may be more likely to influence the health behaviors of YBMSM. A stochastic model-based imputation technique, derived from the exponential random graph models (ERGMs), was applied to simulate 100 networks where unobserved friendships between nonrespondents were imputed. To identify PCAs, the eigenvector centrality and keyplayer positive algorithms were used; both algorithms are well-suited to identifying individuals in key network positions for information diffusion. For both algorithms, we assessed: the sensitivity of identified PCAs to the imputation model; the stability of identified PCAs across the imputed networks, and the effect of the boundary specification on the identification of PCAs.Results: All respondents and 79% of nonrespondents selected as PCAs by eigenvector on the imputed networks were also selected as PCAs on the observed networks. For keyplayer, the agreement was much lower: 43% and 33% of respondent and nonrespondent PCAs respectively selected on the imputed networks were also selected on the raw network. Eigenvector also produced a stable set of PCAs across the 100 imputed networks and was much less sensitive to the specified relational boundary. Conclusion:While we do not have a gold standard that tells us which algorithm produces the most optimal set of PCAs, the lower sensitivity of eigenvector centrality to key assumptions leads us to conclude that it may be preferable. The methods we employed to address the challenges in using Facebook networks may prove timely given the rapidly increasing interest in using online social networks to impr...

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Peer interventions to promote health: Conceptual considerations.

Cited by 211 publications

References 63 publications

Can community-based peer support promote health literacy and reduce inequalities? A realist review

Can community-based peer support promote health literacy and reduce inequalities? A realist review

Losing Weight on Reality TV: A Content Analysis of the Weight Loss Behaviors and Practices Portrayed onThe Biggest Loser

Using Partially-Observed Facebook Networks to Develop a Peer-Based HIV Prevention Intervention: Case Study (Preprint)

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