Comparison Of Diabetes Education Across Age Group, Gender, And Diabetes Type

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of various types of
patient education in motivating diabetic patients to make lifestyle changes and helping
patients identify causes of sub-optimal control of blood glucose. Patient educational tools
compared included: verbal information from a physician, consultations with a dietician,
sessions with a diabetes educator, written materials such as pamphlets or brochures,
Internet sources of information, use of finger stick glucose monitoring, and use of the
Continuous Glucose Monitoring System.
One hundred individuals with diabetes ( 63 females and 3 7 males) responded to an
online survey that was hosted at www.myq3.com. Their ages ranged from 14 to 78 years
(mean age= 32.5 years, SD= 14.4). There were 60 respondents with type 1 diabetes, 28
respondents with type 2 diabetes, and 10 women reported having gestational diabetes.
The type of diabetes education that overall had the most impact on the participants was a
consultation with a diabetes educator (selected by 35% ofrespondents), although type 2
diabetics felt that a consultation with a dietician had the most educational impact The
older respondents, ages 40-78 years, indicated that verbal information from a physician
and written materials such as pamphlet or brochures also had a positive impact.
The diabetes education received by the survey respondents seemed to be effective
as 88 out of 100 participants felt they had more control over blood sugar levels after
receiving education. The lifestyle changes reported by participants included diet, weight,
exercise, and sleep. Seventy- four of the one hundred participants changed their diets.
The most frequent change was having less sugar and the least frequent was consuming
less alcohol. Forty-five percent of the participants had weight loss, 35% had no changes
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and 19% had weight gain. The overall number of participants who exercised on a regular
basis after receiving education was 63 of the 99 participants who answered the question.
The most common type of exercise performed was aerobic exercise and the least
common exercise performed was sports. Sixty-two of ninety-nine participants became
aware of glucose changes during sleep. Overall 83% participants have made positive
changes in their everyday lifestyle after receiving education. In conclusion, education
was extremely important and beneficial for motivating and helping diabetic patients make
lifestyle changes and identify causes of suboptimal control of blood glucose.

Date of Award	2008
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Phyllis Croisant (Supervisor)