Resources for health: A social-ecological intervention for supporting self-management of chronic conditions

There is a pressing need for practical interventions to support self-manage ment of chronic illness that can be integrated with primary care, and that take into account the patient's social environment. This pilot study was co nducted with low-income clients of a community health center and focused on enhancing use of social-environmental resources supportive of self-managem ent. Twenty-eight patients having at least one chronic illness, randomized to immediate versus delayed treatment conditions, met once with a health ed ucator to develop a self-management plan, and received one follow-up phone call and two newsletters. Significant improvements in use of community reso urces, minutes of physical activity, and medication adherence were obtained compared to control. Integrating brief selfmanagement counseling with soci al environmental support appeared effective, although much more can be done to better link counseling to primary care practice.