Training Veterans to Provide Peer Support in a Weight-Management Program: MOVE!

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Allicock, Marlyn ; Haynes-Maslow, Lindsey ; Carr, Carol ; Orr, Melinda ; Kahwati, Leila C. ; Weiner, Bryan J. ; Kinsinger, Linda
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has implemented MOVE!, a weight-management program for veterans designed to address the increasing proportion of overweight and obese veterans. The objective of our study was to determine whether peer support employing motivational interviewing (MI) could positively influence lifestyle changes, thus expanding the reach of the MOVE! program. We describe the initial evaluation of the peer training program.
  
  Methods
  
  We developed an MI peer counselor training program for volunteer veterans, the “Buddies” program, to provide one-on-one telephone support for veterans enrolled in MOVE!. Buddies were recruited at 5 VHA sites and trained to provide peer support for the 6-month MOVE! intervention. We used a DVD to teach MI skills and followed with 2 to 3 booster sessions. We observed training, conducted pre- and posttraining surveys, and debriefed focus groups to assess training feasibility.
  
  Results
  
  Fifty-six Buddies were trained. Results indicate positive receipt of the program (89% reported learning about peer counseling and 87% reported learning communication skills). Buddies showed a small improvement in MI self-efficacy on posttraining surveys. We also identified key challenges to learning MI and training implementation.
  
  Conclusions
  
  MI training is feasible to implement and acceptable to volunteer Buddies. Trainers must assess how effectively volunteers learn MI skills in order to enhance its effective use in health promotion.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Aged Female Humans Male Middle Aged Peer Group Veterans Veterans Health Weight Reduction Programs
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 10.
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Name as Subject:
  MOVE! ; MOVE!
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Volume:
  10
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8e3889912342c46dfc6874695136041e7948a6bdd6935c35cc2ddbcbef62207c50145c1974b6fdafc1ae2104b8d03f88137935f9a65844ead17202678bc4ccc4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/21036/cdc_21036_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 450.60 KB ]