Discussion
obese, overweight, weight loss, developmental disabilities, diabetes
OBESE, DIABETES
In this study, we observed that one-on-one peer mentoring was positively associated with increased duration of physical activity in overweight and obese adults. Health education and access to instructor-led physical activity sessions were associated with an increase in total time spent on physical activity and moderate physical activity (MPA) for both groups. At the end of the study period, the average amount of time spent on vigorous physical activity (VPA) levels significantly increased by 99% for participants in the peer-mentored group compared to baseline.Our results are similar to those in other studies [However, some studies that compared the effectiveness of physical activity interventions delivered by peer mentors versus other mentors showed improvement in physical activity but no difference between the groups. In one study that examined changes in physical activity over four months among individuals with diabetes, there were no significant differences in outcomes between groups led by professionals versus peers [Only a few studies have evaluated changes in anthropometric or cardiometabolic parameters after physical activity interventions. In one study, a six-month physical activity program was associated with 2.6 pounds of weight loss (1.18 kg) among overweight and obese adults with developmental disabilities (n = 44) [Our study has some limitations. We observed that those in the peer-mentor group had higher socioeconomic status compared to those in the control group. This may be because the peers were self-selected, and participants probably chose people from their social class to be paired with. Though we randomized participants to either group to reduce bias, we cannot rule out selection bias in this study. Nonetheless, our findings contribute important knowledge to the field by examining an indigenous African population and employing one-on-one mentoring by self-selected peers. We used interviewer-administered questionnaires to collect data on the participants leisure-time physical activity at baseline and six months, which may have led to an overestimation of their physical activity levels. However, since this procedure was the same for all participants, it could not lead to random errors and variability between the groups. Moreover, we observed and recorded moderate and vigorous physical activity levels during instructor-led sessions at a fitness center. Although we did not evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention, this mentoring structure is inexpensive because it does not require training individuals as mentors to engage with the study participants, and it mimics real-life dynamics where adults are more likely to engage in physical activity with peers of their choice.In conclusion, our study shows that peer mentoring was positively associated with increased physical activity levels among overweight and obese adults. Peer mentoring also holds great promise for improving cardiometabolic health and promoting a healthy lifestyle in adults.