Does nutritional education improve the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among elderly patients with type 2...

To evaluate the effects of a nutritional education program on cardiovascular risk among elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Ninety-seven elderly patients with T2D were enrolled in the present randomized controlled educational trial study. Patients were divided into intervention and control groups. The belief, attitude, subjective norm, enabling factors (BASNEF) educational model was used to design the educational intervention. Patients in the control group received their usual care during the study. Anthropometric data, lipid profiles and blood pressure measurements were collected at baseline and Week 12 in each group.

Significant declines were observed in the intervention compared with control group in terms of body weight (-1.3 ± 1.1 vs. 0.11 ± 0.58 kg, respectively), body mass index (-0.48 ± 0.37 vs. 0.05 ± 0.22 kg/m2, respectively), serum triglyceride levels (-18.25 ± 32.15 vs. -3.67 ± 22.61 mg/dL, respectively; P < 0.05 for all), and the waist-to-hip ratio (P = 0.03). There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in terms of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (-1.02 ± 4.35 vs. -1.10 ± 6.93 mg/dL, respectively; P = 0.9) or low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (-4.04 ± 11.64 vs. -1.08 ± 4.35 mg/dL, respectively; P = 0.2).

Short-term nutritional education based on the BASNEF educational model improves serum triglyceride levels and anthropometric indices in elderly patients with T2D.