Faculty Collaboration Database

Evaluation of a peer-led hypertension intervention for veterans: impact on peer leaders. Health Educ Res 2013 Jun;28(3):426-36

Date

02/15/2013

Pubmed ID

23406721

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3716214

DOI

10.1093/her/cyt004

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84892879950 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   18 Citations

Abstract

Volunteer peer leaders (PLs) benefit from their involvement in health interventions but we know little about how they compare with other non-PL volunteers or with the intervention recipients themselves. We randomized 58 veterans' service organizations' posts (e.g. VFW) to peer- versus professionally led self-management support interventions. Our primary research questions were whether hypertensive PLs changed over the course of the project, whether they changed more than hypertensive volunteers who were not randomized to such a role [i.e. post representatives (PRs)] and whether they changed more than the intervention recipients with respect to health knowledge, health beliefs and health outcomes from baseline to 12 months. After the intervention, PLs provided open-ended feedback and participated in focus groups designed to explore intervention impact. Hypertensive PLs improved their systolic blood pressure and hypertension knowledge and increased their fruit/vegetable intake and pedometer use. We found no differences between PLs and PRs. PLs improved knowledge and increased fruit/vegetable intake more than intervention recipients did; they provided specific examples of personal health behavior change and knowledge acquisition. Individuals who volunteer to be peer health leaders are likely to receive important benefits even if they do not actually take on such a role.

Author List

Mosack KE, Patterson L, Brouwer AM, Wendorf AR, Ertl K, Eastwood D, Morzinski J, Fletcher K, Whittle J

Authors

Kathlyn E. Fletcher MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Katie Mosack PhD Associate Professor in the Psychology department at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Leslie Ruffalo PhD Director, Associate Professor in the Family Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Jeffrey Whittle MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Diet
Exercise
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Promotion
Humans
Hypertension
Leadership
Male
Middle Aged
Patient Education as Topic
Peer Group
Program Evaluation
United States
Veterans