The Effectiveness of Nutritional Education on Metabolic Control in Type 2 Diabetics

Abstract

In this prospective study the ejfect of nutrition education on metabolic control in people vvith type 2 diabetes who has different nutritional kno\vledge level (n= 194) has been investigated. Nutrition edııcation w as given for 90 minutes to groups o f 15-16 diabetics. Nutritional knowledge level was evaluated before the edııcation and people who had type 2 diabetes were divided in t o two groups as low and high knowledge level. Although there were no significant dijferences between two groups before nutritional education, HbA]c levels were found to be signifıcantly lower in people who had high knowledge level than the people who had low knowledge level after 3 month o f nutrition edııcation (p< 0.01). Ali parameters o f mal e s who had low or high knovvledge level were not signifıcantly affected by nutrition education. Hovvever fastiııg blood glucose, HbA]c, triglyceride, VLDL-cholesterol levels offenıcıles wlıo had high or low kno\vledge level were found to be significantlv lower at 3 month than the results o f the entry (for both group p< 0.001, p< 0.001, p< 0.05, p< 0.05 respectively). In conclusion, nutritional edııcation is ejfective in achievenıent of an optimized metabolic control but this positive ejfect is more prominent in women.