Effectiveness of educational intervention based on psychological factors on achieving health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Managing type 2 diabetes (T2D) is assumed to be heavily dependent on patients’ active participation in their own self-care behaviors including prescribed diets. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of educational intervention based on psychological factors on nutritional behaviors as well as levels of fasting blood sugar (FBS) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in patients with T2D referring to diabetes clinics and healthcare centers in the city of Izeh, Iran. METHODS: A total number of 145 patients were recruited in this clinical trial and then randomly assigned to two groups of intervention (n = 73 individuals) and control (n = 72 individuals). After that, a researcher-made multi-part questionnaire including a demographic characteristics information form, a nutritional perceptions and beliefs questionnaire; a scale measuring fears, concerns, and discomforts associated with diabetic diet, as well as the valid and reliable Perceived Dietary Adherence Questionnaire were used to collect the required data before and 3 months after the completion of the educational intervention. To this end, the patients in the intervention group attended an educational program for eight sessions but the individuals in the control group only received routine services. Data analysis was also conducted using the SPSS Statistics (Version 18) and via descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The findings revealed that the mean scores of the sub-groups of nutritional perceptions and beliefs (but not exaggerated ones) in the patients assigned to the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group after 3 months (p = 0.001). As well, the mean scores of the sub-groups of fears, concerns, and discomforts in patients as well as exaggerated beliefs witnessed a significant decrease in the intervention group compared to those in the control group (p = 0.001) 3 months after the educational intervention. Furthermore, the mean scores of adherence to a healthy diet in the intervention group had significantly increased compared to those in the control group. There was correspondingly a significant descending trend in the average levels of fasting blood sugar (FBS) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the intervention group compared to those obtained in the control group (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study shed light on the importance of the effectiveness of psychological factors on achieving health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Moreover, a new combination of diet-related psychological factors in patients with diabetes was introduced in the present study. Trial registration IRCT. IRCT20180308039008N1. Registered 15 April 2018, http://www.irct.ir