Effectiveness of empowerment-based intervention on HbA1c and self-efficacy among cases with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of empowerment-based interventions on glucose metabolism control and psychosocial self-efficacy in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: The Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science electronic databases were searched up to 22 February 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effectiveness of empowerment-based intervention versus conventional treatment in type 2 diabetes cases. At least two investigators independently screened the literature, extracted data and evaluated the methodological quality. We calculated the pooled effect size using the mean difference (MD) or standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) through RevMan V 5.4.1. RESULTS: Fifteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for inclusion in the present study. A total of 2344 adults (1128 in the intervention groups and 1216 in the control) were covered. Five of these studies involved 671 cases of psychosocial self-efficacy, and 4 studies included 622 cases of diabetes knowledge. The meta-analysis showed that compared to routine care, empowerment-based intervention was associated with reduced glycated hemoglobin levels (SMD −0.20; 95% CI −0.31 to −0.08; Z = 3.40, P < .001, I(2) = 42%), increased diabetes empowerment scores (SMD 0.24; 95% CI 0.10–0.37; Z = 3.42, P < .001, I(2) = 0%), and increased diabetes knowledge scores (SMD 0.96; 95% CI 0.55–1.36; Z = 4.61, P < .001, I(2) = 80%). CONCLUSIONS: Empowerment-based intervention in adults with T2DM results in improvements in glycated hemoglobin, psychosocial self-efficacy and diabetes knowledge.