Dietary Management Tools Improve the Dietary Skills of Patients with T2DM in Communities

Dietary management is of paramount importance in the prevention and control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This one-year cluster-randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of dietary management tools on the dietary skills of patients with T2DM. Twenty-two communities were randomly assigned to an intervention group and a control group, and participants in the intervention group received a food guiding booklet ((G)) and a dinner set ((D)). The frequency of dietary management tools usage was collected at baseline and every three months, and different use patterns were identified by a group-based trajectory model. A self-compiled diabetic dietary skills scale and blood glucose were collected at baseline, 3, and 12 months, and a using generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to explore the influence factors of dietary skills and blood glucose. The finding revealed four dietary tool-usage patterns among the participants: Insist using (G/D), Give up gradually (G/D), Give up after use (G), and Never use (G/D). GLMM indicated that dietary skills were higher over time (p < 0.05), and in participants using the guiding booklet (p < 0.001) or dinner set (p < 0.001), or with higher education (p < 0.001). Additionally, blood glucose were lower among participants with higher dietary skills (p = 0.003), higher educational level (p = 0.046), and a 3000–5000 monthly income (p = 0.026). These findings support using food management tools like the guiding booklet and dinner set as a useful strategy in primary health care centers for individuals with T2DM to increase their dietary skills and blood glucose control.