Peer support for Diabetes

Alliance to Control Diabetes was a 2.5-year study funded by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. The study was designed to help patients better manage their diabetes, and was a partnership between the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health and Clínicas de Salud del Pueblo, Inc (CDSDP), a private, non-profit corporation providing comprehensive primary care services to residents throughout Imperial and Riverside Counties, California. The investigators identified 336 patients with uncontrolled diabetes from three CDSDP clinics. Patients were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. The 12-month intervention consisted of individual diabetes management support delivered by a trained volunteer peer supporter. The primary aim was determine if peer support can help patients better manage their diabetes and improve the quality of their lives. Intervention effectiveness was evaluated through volunteer and patient surveys at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. This study was part of the global Peers for Progress network which has been testing peer support programs in 13 countries.