Consumer health organisations for people with diabetes and arthritis: who contacts them and why?

Authors:
BOYLE Frances M., et al
Journal article citation:
Health and Social Care in the Community, 16(6), November 2009, pp.628-635.
Publisher:
Wiley

Consumer health organisations (CHOs) - broadly defined as non-profit or voluntary sector organisations - offer a resource for supporting self-management and self-care for those with chronic illness. In order to investigate patterns of usage of diabetes and arthritis CHOs a cross-sectional computer-assisted telephone interview survey was completed by 279 people who had made contact with one of four consumer health organisations (CHOs) in Queensland, Australia, between July and August 2006. People contacted CHOs primarily to obtain further information about their condition or to access services or products. Most believed CHOs offered useful information and almost half reported that they had started exercising or changed diet following contact. More than two-thirds of diabetes contacts had been directed to the organisation by a health professional, compared with less than one-third of those with arthritis. The study concludes that people who contact CHOs report benefits and health actions conducive to better self-management. The integration of CHOs within the wider health system, as in the case of the diabetes CHO in this study, is likely to facilitate contact.

Subject terms:
long term conditions, self care, self-help groups, service uptake, voluntary organisations, arthritis, diabetes;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
Australia
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN online:
1365-2524
ISSN print:
0966-0410

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