[Mutual Help Groups: diabetes and hypertension control strategy]

To evaluate the accomplishment of the treatment basic goals of every person with diabetes type 2 that attend the Mutual Help Groups (GAM) of the Mexican Ministry of Health (SS).

This transversal comparative study was carried out in 15 Mexican states, through the accomplishment reports of the treatment basic goals of the GAM integrants by June of 2001, compared to the reported figures by the Health Information System for Open Population (SISPA), Ministry of Health on the same date. The studied variables are: age, sex, blood glucose, blood pressure, body mass index, physical activity and pharmacological treatment.

The treatment basic goals accomplishment for 6, 958 people with diabetes was evaluated, all of them attended the Ministry of Health GAMs, in 15 of the 32 Mexican states including the Federal District. When comparing frequencies of patients with diabetes controlled by the GAM and the SISPA, a differential was appreciated, being observed a tendency that showed that people in the GAM were much more controlled; when analyzing with the test Student "t" the differences were even more significant (p < 0.005). The obese diabetics group had a higher risk of being uncontrolled, in relation to the group of non-obese diabetics (OR 1.8, CI: 1.06,1.32; p < 0.002). When comparing the sedentary to the non-sedentary group it was found that the sedentary diabetics presented 1.56 times higher risk of being uncontrolled, that those in the diabetes group that carried out physical activity (CI: 1.37,1.78; p < 0.001).

The Mutual Help Groups are a fundamental strategy in the educational line for improving the disease control, since people with diabetes or hypertension and their relatives play an active role in treatment development accomplishment, as well as in the disease prevention and control. Unlike to that reported in the SISPA, the highest benefits of control, are achieved in people with diabetes or hypertension who attend the GAM.