Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep 18:20:100653.
doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100653. eCollection 2020 Dec.

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

Susan J Andreae  1 , Lynn J Andreae  2 , Andrea Cherrington  2 , Joshua Richman  3 , Monika Safford  4
Affiliations

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

Susan J Andreae et al. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. .

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes medications can substantially lower blood sugar, thereby improving health outcomes. Despite substantial efforts targeting this issue, diabetes medication adherence remains suboptimal. We present the development and implementation of an intervention emphasizing peer modeling and support as strategies to improve medication adherence.

Methods: Program adaptation, pretesting, and peer coach training were combined in an iterative process with community stakeholders. Peer coaches were community residents who had diabetes or took care of family members with diabetes. Study participants were community-dwelling adults taking diabetes oral medications who reported medication non-adherence or wanted help taking their medications.

Results: The resulting intervention consisted of a six-month, 11-session telephone-delivered program. Nineteen peer coaches were trained and certified to deliver the intervention. The 473 study participants were mostly African-Americans (91%), women (79%), and low-income (70% reporting annual income <$20,000). Of the 203 intervention participants, 85% completed the program, with 82% completing all program sessions. Ninety-five percent reported high program satisfaction, and 91% found the program materials helpful, 96% found the videos helpful, 93% felt their peer was easy to talk with, and 95% reported that support from their peer was great or good. Moreover, 93% reported peers knew the program well, and 93% would recommend a peer to a relative with a similar health condition.

Discussion: This intervention was developed and implemented in underserved communities with high retention and fidelity. Participants expressed high satisfaction with the program. Our approach may be helpful for others seeking to develop a medication adherence program in their communities.

Keywords: Adherence; African American; Community-based; Diabetes; Social cognitive theory; Southern; Underserved.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Living Well with Diabetes trial consort diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Krass I., Schieback P., Dhippayom T. Adherence to diabetes medication: a systematic review. Diabet. Med. 2015;32(6):725–737. - PubMed
    1. Iglay K., Cartier S.E., Rosen V.M., Zarotsky V., Rajpathak S.N., Radican L., Tunceli K. Meta-analysis of studies examining medication adherence, persistence, and discontinuation of oral antihyperglycemic agents in type 2 diabetes. Curr. Med. Res. Opin. 2015;31(7):1283–1296. - PubMed
    1. Capoccia K., Odegard P.S., Letassy N. Medication adherence with diabetes medication: a systematic review of the literature. Diabetes Educat. 2016;42(1):34–71. - PubMed
    1. Odegard P.S., Capoccia K. Medication taking and diabetes: a systematic review of the literature. Diabetes Educat. 2007;33(6):1014–1029. discussion 1030-1. - PubMed
    1. Sokol M.C., McGuigan K.A., Verbrugge R.R., Epstein R.S. Impact of medication adherence on hospitalization risk and healthcare cost. Med Care. 2005;43(6):521–530. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources