ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of the developed nutrition education program focused on individual daily energy requirements and food exchange units using Food Exchange System for diabetes mellitus at a community health center. Developed the nutrition education program, four weeks' nutrition education including provided twice individual meal as diet therapy (2 hour/lesson/week, 4 week), was provided to 20 diabetic elderly (12 male, 8 female, 50-75 yrs): 1st lesson "Introduction: management of diabetes mellitus", 2nd lesson "6 Food groups and sources of 6 food groups", 3rd lesson "Individual daily energy requirements and food exchange units", and 4th lesson "Food choice for diabetes mellitus". For effects' analysis of the developed program, we assessed the changes in anthropometric characteristics; biochemical characteristics and nutrient intakes using 24 hr recall method. Effects of the developed nutrition education program were as follows: weight was significantly decreased, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were significantly decreased, and distribution of subjects in BUN and HbA1c was significantly changed. In protein : fat : carbohydrate (PFC) ratio, it was significantly changed from 15.98 : 16.30 : 66.69 to 17.51 : 18.94 : 64.10. In evaluation of nutrient intakes by Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRI), protein, fiber, fat, vitamin E, niacin, folic acid, calcium and zinc were shown significantly positive changes in distribution of subjects according to intake level. The index of nutrition quality (INQ), nutrition adequacy ratio (NAR) and mean nutrition adequacy ratio (MAR) were significantly increased. In conclusion, the developed 4 weeks' nutrition education program focused on individual daily energy requirements and food exchange units using Food Exchange System for diabetes mellitus at community health center may improve the symptom of diabetes mellitus.