Life
Peer Mentoring helping African-American Diabetics
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Talking with diabetic peers who’ve gotten their blood sugar under control helped other African-American diabetes patients bring down their own levels, researchers found.
In a sixth-month intervention among black veterans, those in a peer mentoring program lowered their HbA1c levels more than either those on usual care or those given a financial incentive, Judith Long, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues reported in the March 20 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
Diabetes is more common and more severe in African Americans, which makes them an important target for specific glucose control programs, the researchers said.