Peer coach delivered storytelling program for diabetes medication adherence: Intervention development and process...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Behavior
• Chronic Disease Management

Background:

• Diabetes medication adherence is crucial for improving health outcomes but remains suboptimal.
• Substantial efforts have been made to address this issue, yet challenges persist.
• Peer modeling and support offer a promising strategy to enhance medication adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a community-based intervention focused on peer support to improve diabetes medication adherence.
• To evaluate the feasibility, satisfaction, and retention of the intervention in underserved populations.

Main Methods:

• An iterative program development process involved community stakeholders, including peer coaches with lived experience of diabetes.
• Peer coaches were trained to deliver an 11-session, telephone-based program over six months.
• Study participants were community-dwelling adults with diabetes reporting medication non-adherence.

Main Results:

• The intervention achieved high retention (85% completion) and fidelity in a predominantly African-American, low-income population.
• Participants reported high satisfaction (95%) with the program, materials, videos, and peer coaches.
• A significant majority of participants found their peer coach easy to talk to and helpful, with 93% recommending the program.

Conclusions:

• The developed peer support intervention was successfully implemented in underserved communities with high participant engagement.
• The program demonstrated high satisfaction and retention rates, indicating its potential effectiveness.
• This approach offers a scalable model for community-based medication adherence programs.