Teaching and training programme on carbohydrate counting in Type 1 diabetic patients

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Nutrition Science
• Diabetes Management

Background:

• Carbohydrates significantly impact post-prandial blood glucose in Type 1 diabetes.
• Patients often struggle to accurately assess carbohydrate content in foods.
• Inadequate dietary education is a key factor contributing to this challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and assess a straightforward educational program.
• To enhance dietary knowledge and carbohydrate counting abilities in Type 1 diabetes patients.
• To improve self-management skills for blood glucose control.

Main Methods:

• Forty-eight Type 1 diabetes patients participated in four monthly interactive educational sessions.
• The curriculum focused on identifying macronutrients, counting carbohydrates, and meal distribution.
• Dietary knowledge and carbohydrate counting habits were evaluated via food records and questionnaires at baseline, post-intervention, and seven months later.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in dietary knowledge were observed post-intervention.
• More patients accurately estimated carbohydrate content and distributed carbohydrates across meals.
• Enhanced ability to manage hypoglycaemic events and sustained knowledge retention at seven months were noted.

Conclusions:

• A simple educational intervention effectively improves dietary knowledge in Type 1 diabetes.
• The program fosters a lasting habit of carbohydrate counting.
• This approach offers a practical strategy for enhancing diabetes self-care and glycemic control.