Effect of Empowerment Model-Based Program on Quality of Life in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic disease with a high prevalence globally, which is in the second place of importance for the investigation of chronic diseases. According to previous studies, Quality of Life (QOL) is low in diabetic patients. Hence, this study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the effect of the empowerment model on the QOL of patients with T2D. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was performed on 103 T2D patients over 18 years of age, with a definitive diagnosis of diabetes and medical records in a diabetic center. Patients were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control groups. Routine education was presented to the control group, and the empowerment model was used for education in the experimental group for 8 weeks. The data collection tools used consisted of a demographic characteristics form and the diabetic clients QOL questionnaire. The one-way analysis of variance, Chi-square test, paired t-test, and independent t-test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: After the intervention, there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of the physical (p = 0.003), mental (p = 0.002), social (p = 0.013), economic (p = 0.042), and illness and treatment dimensions of QOL (p = 0.033), as well as the total QOL score (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, the training program based on empowerment significantly increased the QOL of patients with T2D. Therefore, using this method can be recommended in patients with T2D.