The Effects of a Self Management Program on Knowledge, Self-Care Behaviors and Blood Sugar Levels among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study employing a two-group pretest–posttest with follow-up design aimed to examine the effects of a self-management promotion program on diabetes knowledge, self-care behaviors, and blood glucose levels among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at Ban Duea Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital, Nong Khai Province. The sample consisted of 60 participants, who were equally assigned to an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). The experimental group received the self-management promotion program for 12 weeks, whereas the control group received standard care. Data were collected at three time points: baseline (pretest), post-intervention, and follow-up. The research instruments included a self-management promotion program, a diabetes knowledge test, a self-care behavior questionnaire, and a blood glucose record form. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and two-way repeated measures ANOVA.

The results revealed that: 1) there were no significant differences in mean diabetes knowledge scores between the experimental and control groups or in the interaction effect between time and group (p-value > 0.05), although diabetes knowledge significantly changed over time (p-value = 0.02); 2) the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher mean self-care behavior scores than the control group (p-value = 0.04), with a significant interaction effect between time and group (p-value = 0.04). Self-care behavior scores at post-intervention and follow-up were significantly higher than those at baseline (p-value < 0.001); and (3) no significant differences in mean blood glucose levels were found between the two groups, and no significant time-by-group interaction was observed (p-value > 0.05). However, blood glucose levels changed significantly over time (p-value < 0.001). In conclusion, the self-management promotion program was effective in improving self-care behaviors among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The program should be integrated into primary healthcare services to enhance diabetes care.