RESUMO
Background: Diabetes is one of the most important metabolic disorders. Health education and behavioral improvement methods are effective ways for preventing and controlling diabetes. The present study investigated the effect of behavioral modification education on knowledge, attitude, self-care, and life quality in patients with type II diabetes
Materials and methods: This experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest control group design. From patients with type II diabetes presenting to Bojnurd Health Center, 40 patients were selected according to the eligibility criteria and were assigned randomly to two groups, the treatment group [20 patients] and the control group [20 patients]. A 5-section questionnaire was run in two stages to determine the demographic information and to measure knowledge [reliability 0.84], attitude [reliability 0.81], self-care [reliability 0.91], and quality of life [SF-20; reliability 0.79]. Validity of the questionnaire was approved by experts. The educational program for modification of habits and nutrition was conducted in five 30- minute sessions. Data was analyzed using SPSS 18 software
Results: The mean age of the patients was 52.17 +/- 7.58 years
The results showed that educational intervention had no significant effect on knowledge. However, this program had significant effects on attitude toward the illness [p=0.001], selfcare [p=0.001], and quality of life [p=0.001]
Conclusion: Implementing health care and changing inappropriate behaviors, type II diabetic patients would be able to change their attitude toward life and lifestyle. Such programs should be continuous and it is advisable to supplement the clinical and psychological methods with pharmacological ones