Comparing the effectiveness of motivational interviewing and self-development education on type II diabetes mellitus patients’ lifestyle

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle can play an important role in controlling type II diabetes (T2D), and a high-risk lifestyle can exacerbate its effects. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of motivational interviewing with self-development education on T2D patients’ lifestyle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study in 2017–2018. The design was pretest–posttest with an active comparison group. The population of this study was T2D patients of Firouzgar and Imam Reza Hospitals in Tehran. Using targeted sampling, 80 patients were selected and randomly assigned into experimental and comparison groups. The instrument was a tool for assessing lifestyle determinants in T2D patients (determinants of lifestyle behavior questionnaire) based on the theory of planned behavior. Intervention program was initially performed, and motivational interviewing was conducted on Firouzgar Hospital's patients for 10 sessions while self-development education was conducted on Imam Reza Hospital's patients for 10 sessions (active comparison group). To analyze the data, independent t-test and Chi-square test were used. RESULTS: The results showed that the patients who received motivational interviewing had significant improvement in their lifestyles with a 95% confidence level at P = 0.042, compared to the patients who had been trained with self-development education. CONCLUSION: Motivational interviewing improves the lifestyle of T2D patients compared to self-development education. It is recommended that motivational interviewing be used to help the rehabilitation of these patients. This method helps patients control their blood sugar while improving their lifestyle.