Abstract

BACKGROUND
This study was carried out to examine the changes in the health behaviors and glycemic control before and after administering a Diabetes Mellitus (DM) education program in a clinic. METHODS: The author conducted a questionnaire and analyzed the blood chemistry with the fasting plasma blood sugar (FBS) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level of 80 patients in a clinic for 6 months from February to July 2004. The study group was divided into a poorly controlled (PC) group and well-controlled (WC) group according to the FBS or HbA1c level. The author then educated the subjects about general knowledges for DM over a 6-month period. The changes in the results before and after the DM education were measured as the changes in the health behaviors along with the changes in the FBS, and HbA1c levels. RESULTS: The study subjects contained 20 males and 20 females in each groups, and the major age group was the fifth decade (22 cases, 27.5%). The mean values for the total health behavior scores after the DM education program in the PC and WC group were 16.2 +/- 1.9, and 16.2 +/- 1.7 respectively, and were significantly higher than that before the education program (11.4 +/- 2.1, 15.3 +/- 1.9, P < 0.05). The mean FBS levels after the DM education program in the PC and WC groups were 130.2 +/- 22.8 mg/dL, and 116.2 +/- 16.6 mg/dL respectively, and was significantly lower than that before the education program (186.3 +/- 33.5 mg/dL, 135.3 +/- 16.3 mg/dL, P < 0.05). The mean HbA1c levels after the DM education program in the PC and WC groups were 7.0 +/- 0.8%, and 6.2 +/- 0.4% respectively, which were significantly lower than that before the education program (9.2 +/- 1.4%, 6.5 +/- 0.4%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a DM education program in a clinic is effective in improving the health behaviors and laboratory findings in DM patients.

• Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus;Education;Health behavior;Blood glucose