The perspective of peer educators: What are their experiences, feelings, and thoughts?

Introduction: Although peer education is accepted as one of the most effective methods for sexual and reproductive health education, the feelings, thoughts and self-affection of peer educators are not very well known. Our aim is to investigate what it is like to be a peer educator. Methods: This phenomenological study was conducted in Izmir as a part of “Modern Stork Legends” project supported by the European Union. Two focus group interviews were made with 18 peer educators of the project. Data were analyzed with NVivo 8 BS software. Results: All of the students stated that they participate in the project “to enhance their knowledge” and “to inform their social circle”. They are concerned about the tasks and expectations, and anxious about the subject of counseling. They think that anything related with sexuality is taboo in Turkey and it was also the same for them. They observed that, gender defined roles are reflected on students’ behaviors and attitudes. Their tolerance in understanding of inhibitions and hesitations of their peers formed the basis of their success. They stated that working in this project helped them to overcome their prejudices and contributed their development in many ways. Conclusion: Peer educators internalize substantial amount of knowledge and gain self-confidence and important skills such as communication, problem solving and access to information.

Study of Peer-led Intervention on Reproductive Health Education and AIDS Prevention in Joint Venture Factories in Kunshan County

Objective To disseminate the knowledge of contraception and STD/AIDS prevention to unmarried young adults.Methods A peer-led 8-month intervention on reproductive health promotion and STD/ AIDS preve,tion was conducted in joint venture factories in Kunshan County through existing famity planning service network. A quasi-experimental design was used. Results The contraception. STD/AIDS related knowledge and attitudes improved significantly, and the use of condom also increased significantly in experimental group after the intervention. No such changes occurred in control group. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the peer-led education is an effective approvach of expanding reproductive health and AIDS prevention services to unmarried young adults in the joint venture factories.

Peer educator training program for enhancing knowledge on issues in the growth and development of adolescents and risk behavior problems in Indonesian context

Objective： This article aimed to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention programme on improving peer educator （PE） knowledge in issues around growth and development and its risk behavior problems of adolescents in Indonesia. Methods： The study was conducted in 31 of PEs to evaluate their knowledge in adolescents. The PEs received health education and were assessed by individual work during the structured three-week programme. Data were collected before and after the training programme as pre- and post-tests. Results： The PE demonstrated significant improvements in their knowledge after attending the three-week structured training programme. The post-test scores had significant effects on the dimensions of PE knowledge scores. The PE become knowledgeable to maintain and monitor adolescents health issues around growth and development and its risk behavior problems of adolescents. Conclusions： The PE become knowledgeable to respond to the adolescent problems and readiness to become PE during puberty.

An effective Australian-Chinese peer education program on HIV/AIDS/STDs for university students in China

IntroductionCurrently, there are at least 850,000 people living with human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in China. Among them 16-29 years old account for about 65%. According to the Chinese health authorities, if the preventive measures are not effective, the figure could reach as many as 10 million by the year 2010[1]. Since there are currently no cure or vaccines for HIV/AIDS, changing people's high-risk behaviors is the main approach that is taken to slow down the epidemic. This can be done through effective HIV/AIDS education, especially for young people. In 1997, a 4-year adolescent HIV/AIDS peer education program was introduced to in Beijing and Shanghai, which was based on a successful Australian model developed by Professor Roger Short, in which senior medical students were trained and used as peer educators to teach their junior peers about HIV/AIDS[2].……

Peer support improving the life quality of colostomy patients with colorectal cancer

Psychosocial barriers for people with an enterostomy remain a huge challenge for the health system.Recent research findings have shown that peer support has a significant effect on the psychological support of patients undergoing permanent enterostomies.This paper explores the current state of research on peer support for patients with an intestinal stoma through a literature review approach to provide scientific evidence for researchers,clinicians,and policy makers in this field.The findings suggest that the innovative use of peer support in psychological interventions for colorectal cancer stoma patients can provide them with knowledge skills,resource information,emotional support,and assessment support,which can help to facilitate the adaptation of stoma patients to their role,improve their ability to manage their stoma and ensure their physical and psychological well-being.

An integrative Tai Chi program for patients with breast cancer undergoing cancer therapy:study protocol for a randomized controlled feasibility study

Background： Breast cancer patients experience various side effects during cancer therapy, often resulting in reduced quality of life and poor adherence to treatment. A limited range of proven interventions has been developed to target such side effects. While Tai Chi offers benefits for the health and well-being of breast cancer survivors, the effectiveness of Tai Chi across the treatment continuum has not been evalu- ated. Improved patient education and support has been suggested as a priority for breast cancer care. This pilot study assesses the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial （RCT） to evaluate the effectiveness of ＂an integrative Tai Chi＂ （ANITA） program for breast cancer patients undergoing cancer therapy. Methods/design： This is a single-centre, two-arm feasibility RCT. Twenty-four patients with breast cancer who have undergone surgical treatment will be recruited from the Dunedin Hospital （New Zealand） over a 12-month period （from August 2017 to July 2018）. Subject to informed consent, patients will be ran- domized to receive standard cancer treatment alone or standard cancer treatment plus the ANITA pro- gram, consisting of peer support, health education, and Tai Chi Ruler exercise. The program runs alongside the patient＇s adjuvant cancer therapy, which may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antibody treatment, and/or antihormonal therapy. Analysis in this study will focus on process evaluation of participant recruitment, retention, treatment fidelity, acceptability of the program, and occurrence of adverse events. Clinical outcomes （i.e., fatigue, sleep quality, anxiety and depression and quality of life） will be assessed at baseline, and at 12 weeks and 24 weeks post-randomization. Discussion： Outcomes from this study will inform the feasibility and methodology for a future fully- powered RCT.