Peer support of complex health behaviors in prevention and disease management with special reference to diabetes: systematic reviews

Abstract

ObjectivesExamine Peer Support (PS) for complex, sustained health behaviors in prevention or disease management with emphasis on diabetes prevention and management.Data sources and eligibilityPS was defined as emotional, motivational and practical assistance provided by nonprofessionals for complex health behaviors. Initial review examined 65 studies drawn from 1442 abstracts identified through PubMed, published 1/1/2000–7/15/2011. From this search, 24 reviews were also identified. Extension of the search in diabetes identified 30 studies published 1/1/2000–12/31/2015.ResultsIn initial review, 54 of all 65 studies (83.1%) reported significant impacts of PS, 40 (61.5%) reporting between-group differences and another 14 (21.5%) reporting significant within-group changes. Across 19 of 24 reviews providing quantifiable findings, a median of 64.5% of studies reviewed reported significant effects of PS. In extended review of diabetes, 26 of all 30 studies (86.7%) reported significant impacts of PS, 17 (56.7%) reporting between-group differences and another nine (30.0%) reporting significant within-group changes. Among 19 of these 30 reporting HbA1c data, average reduction was 0.76 points. Studies that did not find effects of PS included other sources of support, implementation or methodological problems, lack of acceptance of interventions, poor fit to recipient needs, and possible harm of unmoderated PS.ConclusionsAcross diverse settings, including under-resourced countries and health care systems, PS is effective in improving complex health behaviors in disease prevention and management including in diabetes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40842-017-0042-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effect of peer support on diabetes distress: a cluster randomized controlled trial

“…Peer support allows patients to share experiences and receive reinforcement that is unavailable from timepressed clinicians, which may be especially beneficial for patients when they are tackling challenging medical tasks, such as insulin management [10]. This model has been used in diabetes and other chronic conditions with generally positive results [11,12], but there is limited evidence to support its effectiveness with regard to diabetes distress, particularly for Chinese adults with Type 2 diabetes [13][14][15]. Accordingly, the objective of the present study was to investigate if a peer support model could improve diabetes distress as well as clinical indicators among adults with Type 2 diabetes in China.…”

Acceptability and Appropriateness of a Novel Parent-Staff Co-Leadership Model for Childhood Obesity Prevention in Head Start: A Qualitative Interview Study

“…Peer leadership is an effective strategy for health promotion [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Peers, who are not professionals in health elds, take on a variety of leadership roles in health promotion programs [6].…”

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