Peers for Progress e-News                        January 31, 2011
 
New Peers for Progress Publication in Health Affairs

 
The journal, Health Affairs, devoted it’s January, 2012 issue to “Confronting the Growing Diabetes Crisis” (volume 31, number 1).  Peers for Progress was featured with a paper describing results of peer support projects in Cameroon, South Africa, Uganda and Thailand. To read a brief summary highlighting key aspects of the paper, follow this link. [Read the special brief]

Ed Fisher, global director of Peers for Progress also was among speakers in a day-long conference Health Affairs hosted in Washington on January 10, the day of the special issue’s release. [Conference materials]

The paper, “Peer support for self-management of diabetes improved outcomes in international settings,” is available at the Peers for Progress Homepage. Jean Claude Mbanya from the project in Cameroon, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus from UCLA and the project in South Africa, Linda Baumann from the University of Wisconsin and the project in Uganda, and Boosaba Sanguanprasit and Chanuantong Tanasugarn from the project in Thailand joined Peers for Progress staff Renee Boothroyd, Maggy Coufal, and Ed Fisher in authoring the paper.

Back to Top

Program Spotlight
Peers for Progress Network Presentations at 2011 IDF - Dubai


Hosted by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), more than 15,100 people from over 172 countries congregated in Dubai for the World’s Diabetes Congress in early December 2011. Peers for Progress and our colleagues from the Network spoke on topics ranging from peer support program design and implementation to the use of novel technologies in peer support interventions. Abstracts, presentation slides and videos can be found in the summery report. [Read the report] [IDF-Dubai Webcasts]

 

MoPo Tsyo’s Recent Highlights

MoPoTsyo Patient Information Centre shares their recent activities and exciting developments in Cambodia during 2nd half of 2011. Notably, MoPoTsyo started collaborating with Belgian NGO Louvain Coopération au Développement (LD) to set up a Peer Educator Network related to mental health, as well as presented at the 3rd ICIUM conference organized by WHO and Harvard University in Antalya, Turkey and World’s Diabetes Congress in Dubai. Also, MoPo Tsyo celebrated World Diabetes Day in an event that was organized by the Provincial Health Department of Banteay Meanchey and attended by key leaders in diabetes fields in Cambodia, along with peer educators from 4 provinces. [Read the highlights] [Video -World Diabetes Day celebration in Cambodia]

Check out a recent series on program sustainability, integration and scaling up by Maurits van Pelt, Director of MoPoTsyo Patient Information Centre, on the Peers for Progress Blog.

Back to Top

Program Resources
IDF Peer Leader Manual by Tang & Funnell
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) released a peer leader training manual by Drs. Tricia Tang  (also a grantee of Peers for Progress) and Marth Funnell in December of 2011. The manual includes chapters on a wide variety of topics including patient empowerment, healthy eating, problem solving, physical activity and many others. The manual also provides innovative educational tools that are crucial to engaging and motivating all learners to facilitate effective learning. [Read the manual].

CDC’s CHW Manual for Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a training manual sourcebook for community health workers (CHWs) and trainers for preventing heart disease and stroke. It is a user-friendly curriculum designed to enhance CHW competencies in preventing heart disease and stroke by providing information on the major risk factors for these diseases in adults and is not intended to replace basic training. [Read the manual]
 
Research Briefs 

Developing a Guide for Peer Support Diabetes Management in Rural Alabama 

Cherrington et al describe the development of a 1-year peer support intervention to improve diabetes self-management with African American adults in rural Alabama. The program was developed based on a review of the literature, interviews with key informants and discussions with community health workers. The resulting intervention includes a 2 day training, telephone contacts throughout intervention phases, a peer support network as well as thorough data collection (Previews of Chronic Disease; January, 2012) [Full abstract]
 

Telephone Peer Counseling for Psychosocial Support after Breast Cancer
Crane-Okrada and colleagues examined the efficacy of weekly telephone calls to seniors for 5 weeks after breast cancer surgery in California.  Participants were randomized and evaluated pre-surgery, post-intervention and 6 months after surgery. Significant independent effects of age and intervention were noted for coping by seeking instrumental support. The authors concluded that Peer counseling may affect instrumental support seeking and appears to be differentially received by age group. (Oncology Nursing Forum, January 2012) [Full abstract]
 

Peer Support in Online Japanese Breast Cancer Communities: Differences between Lurkers and Posters

Setoyama et al. examined the differences between members of an online support community for breast cancer that post actively (posters) and those that do not post (lurkers). Both groups received 5 types of support analyzed as emotional support/helper therapy, emotional expression, conflict, advice, and insight/universality.  Posters felt they received more benefits from online communities than lurkers did. However, lurkers still received support from online communities, particularly in the form of advice and insight/universality. The authors suggest these findings show being a lurker may still have benefits for those in online peer support communities.  (Journal of Internet Medical Research, December, 2011) [Full abstract]

 

Assessing Delivering Peer Support for Couples Coping with Prostate Cancer

Chambers and colleagues examined the feasibility of a peer support intervention for men with prostate cancer and their partners.  Peers received a 12 hour of training that included communication skills, adjustment to cancer, managing treatment effects, sexuality and research procedures. Couples were evaluated pre-surgery as well as 3 and 6 months post, while peers took part in a focus group to share their experiences. Distress decreased over time with partners expressing a larger decrease. Peer leaders identified altruism, a belief in research, and reported personal growth as motivation for their involvement in the project. (Psycho-Oncology, December 2011) [Full abstract]

 

 

 

Back to Top

Funding and Dissemination Opportunities

NIH Seeking Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in the Primary Care Setting                                                                 
DEADLINE: February or later
 
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Adherence Network is issuing a Research Project Grant (FOA) to support research that would improve medication adherence among patients with chronic or co-morbid illnesses in the primary care setting. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate the role of peer support in promoting self care among patients with chronic illnesses. The FOA is open to all US based institutes and organizations. [More info]

Addressing Co-morbid Illnesses through Behavioral Interventions
                                                                                                       
DEADLINE: February 2, 2012 or later
 
A funding opportunity announcement (FOA) has been issued by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to seek proposals for behavioral interventions aimed at changing health behaviors among patients with three or more co-morbid illnesses. Proposed interventions should address common behaviors across co-morbid conditions rather than individual behaviors for each condition. Conditions can include, but are not limited to, mental health disorders, diabetes, and hypertension. [More info]

Research to Improve Medication Adherence among Young Adults with T1D
                                                                 
DEADLINE: Letter of Intent Feb 2, 2012; Application March 2, 2012

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is issuing a call for program proposals that would improve medication adherence and self management behaviors among pre-teens, adolescents, and young adults with Type 1 Diabetes. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate and explore the role of peer support in chronic disease management. The funding opportunity is open to all US based organizations. [more info

Call for Abstracts-2012 APHA
                                                         
DEADLINE: February 6-10, 2012

The American Public Health Association (APHA) is receiving abstracts for their 140th annual conference in San Francisco, California, which will take place this year from October 27-31. The theme for 2012 is Prevention and Wellness across the Lifespan, although abstracts from all areas of public health are encouraged. [More more]

NIH Seeking Proposals to Improve Medication Adherence Among HIV/AIDS Positive Young Adults ICBM
 
           
DEADLINE: February 21, 2012
                                                                   
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking proposals for research aimed at improving adherence to medication and behavioral regiments among HIV/AIDS positive youth and young adults. The proposed research may develop, implement, and evaluate new interventions or adapt existing ones. [More info]

US HHS Seeking Proposals for Research in Chronic Disease

DEADLINE: April 5, 2012
 
The Us Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for research in chronic disease management and health promotion. Preference is given to research that addresses one of ten identified priority areas, which include self management in chronic diseases and translational research.  [More info]
 

Back to Top

IN THIS ISSUE

 Program Spotlight  

Program Resources

Research Briefs

Funding & Dissemination Opportunities

Meetings and Events

  Please forward this e-newsletter to an interested colleague 
FEATURES
Special Announcement

 Peers for Progress Presentations at 2011 - Dubai
MEETINGS & EVENTS   

Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference (Glasgow, UK; March  7-9, 2012)
PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM ASSISTANCE

Do you:

  • Need help connecting with other programs?
  • Want to share your updates with other programs?
  • Need assistance with Peers for Progress Web Site?

Please contact PeersforProgress@aafp.org

QUICK LINKS
Peers for Progress
Join Our mailing list
News Archive

Sharing Center 

  

  

CONTACT DETAILS

Peers for Progress               11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway                 
Leawood, KS  66211
PeersforProgress@aafp.org 

http://www.peersforprogress.org