Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effects of structured nutrition education in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods Two hundred and thirty-six patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomly divided into structured nutrition team (SNT group) and usual nutrition team (UNT group). Patients in UNT group only received usual nutrition education, while those in SNT group received structured nutrition education in addition to usual nutrition education. The clinical biochemical parameters including fasting plasma glucose, postprandial plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, knowledge of nutrition and parameters of diet behaviors in two groups were analysed at baseline and 6 months after intervention. Results Compared with the baseline, the fasting plasma glucose, postprandial plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, knowledge of nutrition and diet behaviors significantly improved 6 months after intervention in SNT group (P<0.05). Compared with UNT group, SNT group achieved significantly better results in glycosylated hemoglobin, knowledge of nutrition and diet behaviors (P<0.05). Conclusion Structured nutrition education may play a role in the improvement of glycemic control and diet behaviors.

Key words: structured education, diet behavior, blood glucose, type 2 diabetes mellitus