For these programs to be effective, the peer population needs to be as similar as possible to the patient population (7).Therefore, it is important to assess the needs of individuals of various cultural backgrounds in order to design programs that best address culture-specific needs and issues in the treatment of chronic disease such as arthritis. Existing recruitment strategies are often biased towards those from white, middle-class backgrounds, but more marginalized groups, including immigrants, may have the most to gain from peer support programs (8). Additionally, it has been shown that the incidence, severity and processes of care, as well as outcomes, differ among racial or ethnic groups although the reasons for this are largely unknown (9). With the diversity of the Canadian population and aging of immigrants, these are aspects that are increasingly relevant. Therefore, the design of tailored programs for different communities is important to be able to successfully implement peer support programs.