Table 2 Effectiveness of the intervention delivery according to the four key peer support functions at 12 months

KF 1:

Assistance in daily management of diabetes

• Ninety-four percent (94%) participants reported that the PfP-DP helped them manage their diabetes on a day to day basis ‘all the time’ (18%) and ‘to some extent’ (76%). Only 6% group members stated that the PfP-DP did not help them at all in managing their diabetes.

• More than 90% of the group members stated that they were supported by their peer leaders in setting specific goals to improve their eating or exercise, in learning skills and behaviours to take care of their diabetes, and in solving problems that came up in taking care of their diabetes.

KF 2:

Provision of promotion and social and emotional support

• Seventy-eight (78%) and 72% group members indicated that their peer leaders and other group members respectively supported them in dealing with stress.

• However, about one-third (28%) felt that they could not call upon their peer leaders or other group members when they were feeling low or needed help from them.

• Sixty-eight percent (68%) of participants when asked if they had received any ongoing social and emotional support in relation to their diabetes, besides participating in this program, responded that they had received additional support, mainly from their GPs and family members.

KF 3:

Assistance in creating linkage with clinical care services

• Group members reported that the peer leaders reminded them to see their health care providers, very often (40%) to some of the time (38%), even when they were not sick.

• Group members reported that peer leaders made referrals to community resources to help participants with clinical care from ‘very often’ (31%) to ‘some of the time’ (39%).

• Seventy-eight percent (78%) of participants stated that their peer leaders asked them about problems with their medicines or their effects.

• A total of 68% and 59% participants felt that their peer leaders and other group members respectively have helped them build better communication skills to use during their health care visits.

KF 4:

Provision of ongoing support to assist with diabetes self-management

• Seventy-five percent (75%) and 63% of participants stated that they were able to contact and reach their peer leaders and other group members respectively, outside the monthly group meetings.

• Seventy-five percent (75%) of the participants felt that their peer leaders maintained contact with them, and worked with them over time to help them manage their diabetes.

• Ninety-five percent (95%) of the participants stated that peer leaders and other group members were able to contact them outside of the monthly group meetings.

• The participants were asked about the extent to which the additional resources provided support. Diabetes Information Sheets, Healthy Eating Booklet, Diabetes Education and Manual, and Support Share Learn Live Newsletter provided a lot of support to 59, 55, 48 and 41% of participants respectively.

• Overall, attending monthly group meetings provided ‘a lot of support’ to 57% and ‘moderate’ support to 34% of the participants. Only 8% of the group members felt that monthly group meetings provided only a little support in managing their diabetes.