title: ''Buddy system'' of peer mentors may help control diabetes.
abstract: Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent and severe among African Americans. Even within the Veterans Health Administration, which is thought to have minimized barriers in access to care, racial disparities in glucose control and outcomes persist. This Issue Brief summarizes work testing two novel interventions--one-on-one peer mentoring (a "buddy system") and financial incentives--designed to help patients with consistently poor diabetes control achieve better results. In this case, a telephone buddy makes a big difference.
authors.affiliation: Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, USA.
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009042:Motivation; D010379:Peer Group; D012944:Social Support; D014728:Veterans
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin