Diabetes
Conditions
Keywords
diabetes education, community health workers, diabetes control
Brief summary
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a diabetes education program delivered to CHW in improving the metabolic control of patients with type 2 DM. The study is a randomized controlled trial conducted in a primary care unit. Eight CHW, providing care for 118 patients, are randomized in two groups to receive a one-month diabetes education program (intervention group, patients n= 62) or an education course in other health issues (control group, patients n= 56).
Detailed description
Background: In Brazil, community health workers (CHW) are members of the community hired by the government to provide education and care for patients for a broad range of health issues, including diabetes mellitus (DM). However, few CHW are trained for diabetes education and little is known about the effectiveness of their interventions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a diabetes education program delivered to CHW in improving the metabolic control of patients with type 2 DM. Materials and methods: the study is a randomized controlled trial conducted in a primary care unit. Eight CHW, providing care for 118 patients, are randomized in two groups to receive a one-month diabetes education program (intervention group, patients n= 62) or an education course in other health issues (control group, patients n= 56). Each CHW is responsible for transmitting the acquired knowledge to patients from their respective working areas. The primary outcome is change in HbA1C three months after intervention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALdiabetes education
Diabetes education program includes: 4 theoretical sessions, 60 minutes long, taught once a week for 4 weeks, developed in the form of group classes, and given by one of the authors. The educational program content comprises (1) definition of diabetes, and identification of modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes, (2) non-pharmacological treatment, with emphasis on diet and exercise, (3) pharmacological therapy, including mechanism of action and side effects of anti-diabetic medications provided by the Brazilian public health system and (4) an overview of chronic diabetes complications.
BEHAVIORALeducation in other areas
Four theoretical sessions related to education in other health areas, not related to diabetes, administered during 4 weeks
Sponsors
Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa
Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Caregiver)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Adult patients with diabetes mellitus who live in the community of the health care unit and who agree to participate the study.
Exclusion criteria
* None.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| HbA1c | comparison baseline and three months after intervention. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Diastolic Blood pressure | comparison baseline and three months after intervention. | unit: mmHg |
| Systolic Blood Pressure | comparison baseline and three months after intervention. | unit: mmHg |
| Total cholesterol | comparison baseline and three months after intervention. | unit: mg/dL |
| Diabetes literacy | comparison baseline and three months after intervention. | measured by a 22 questions questionnaire testing diabetes knowledge |
| Triglycerides | comparison baseline and three months after intervention. | unit: mg/dL |
| Height | baseline measure only | unit: centimeters; this outcome will be used to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) |
| Weight | comparison baseline and three months after intervention. | unit: kilograms; this outcome will be used to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) |
| HDL-Cholesterol | comparison baseline and three months after intervention. | unit: mg/dL |
Countries
Brazil
Outcome results
None listed