The effect of health education for diabetics in the community

Diabetic care in the community has become a public health issue. To assess the effect of a community diabetes care program (CDCP) on knowledge acquisition and its impact on metabolic control, a 2-year study including 260 non-insulin-dependent diabetics from two different districts in Taipei city was conducted. The experimental group consisted of 140 cases. The remaining 120 cases served as controls. Preintervention knowledge scores were significantly correlated with the formal education level and the duration of diabetes [Diabetic knowledge score = 50.06 + 0.82 (duration of education in years) + 0.23 (duration of diabetes in years), p less than 0.001]. A large increase in the knowledge scores for experimental patients was noted 1 year after intervention. A significant difference in diabetic knowledge still existed between the control and experimental groups 2 years after intervention. HbAlc levels (mean +/- SD) for the experimental patients decreased from a baseline of 7.47 +/- 1.87% to 7.23 +/- 1.68% and 6.88 +/- 1.30% 1 year and 2 years after intervention, respectively. However, no significant decrease was found in the control group (7.20 +/- 2.00% at baseline and 6.98 +/- 1.96%, and 7.14 +/- 2.25% at 1 year and 2 years after intervention, respectively). Reduction in body weight was found in the experimental group. In order of baseline, 1 year and 2 years after intervention, the results were 63.6 +/- 9.6, 62.6 +/- 9.3 and 62.5 +/- 9.2 kg, respectively. There was no remarkable change in body weight in the control group during the 2-year observation period. In conclusion, an integrated approach to CDCP provides a cost-effective method for management of diabetes in the community.