The effect of the peer's support on self efficacy level type II diabetic patients

Diabetes is one of the most common and costliest chronic diseases whose treatment and control widely depends on patients’ sense of self-efficacy in self-management and adherence to self-care behaviors. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of peer support on self-efficacy of patients with type II diabetes. In this clinical trial, 80 patients with type II diabetes were selected and allocated to the intervention and control groups (n = 40 each) using proportionate stratification. After creating a group of peers, the peers held 10 supportive training sessions for the intervention group over three months. A questionnaire was administered to measure peers’ knowledge before and after the training. Patients’ self-efficacy was assessed using the diabetes management self-efficacy scale (DMSES) before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed in SPSS/18. There was no significant difference between self-efficacy scores of the two groups before the intervention (P = 0.1). However, the two groups had a significant difference in self-efficacy scores after the intervention (P < 0.001). Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the intervention groups’ scores of self-efficacy before and after the intervention (P < 0.001). Such a significant difference was not detected in the control group (P = 0.09). The peer group support program improved self-efficacy in patients with diabetes. This supportive training method is hence recommended as an efficient and cost-effective supplement to the routine diabetes care provided by healthcare personnel.