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- Page navigation anchor for RE: Peer Coaching to Improve Diabetes Self-Management Among Low-Income Black Veteran Men: A Mixed Methods Assessment of Enrollment and EngagementRE: Peer Coaching to Improve Diabetes Self-Management Among Low-Income Black Veteran Men: A Mixed Methods Assessment of Enrollment and Engagement
In this study, Turner et al. describe those characteristics of Black men with diabetes that are associated with 1-likelihood of enrolling in a peer-coaching program provided by Veteran’s Affair affiliated health centers and 2-once enrolled, likelihood of engagement with a peer-coach led program designed to improve diabetes self-management. The authors undertook this study to improve the targeting of their peer-coaching intervention and to better understand how to design mentorship training for future success in engagement of individuals struggling with complex comorbidities. Black men with chronic disease carry the highest risk of adverse health outcomes as compared to other socio-demographic groups. The authors compared characteristics of individuals who enrolled in the peer-coaching intervention as compared to those who did not. Though overall enrollment was low (44%) and of those enrolled about 50% remained engaged with the study, validated surveys showed that Black men with higher educational attainment, higher scores on ease of establishing social relationships, and surprisingly worse diabetes control and self-management, were more likely to enroll. They attributed their success in enrolling these individuals, elsewhere identified as some of the most difficult to engage, to the fact that the intervention was offered by the VA and that peer coaches were matched by race, age and gender. Thus, support offered by fellow veteran Black men was meaningful to those who part...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.