Effects of Diabetic Foot Care Education for the Aged with Low Health Literacy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of diabetic foot care education for the older adults with low health literacy.METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest was used. The participants who were diagnosed with diabetes, were adults over 65 years old at the welfare center of Y and B city. They were divided into the experimental group (n=32) and the control group (n=31). Inclusion criteria were a score of 5 or under on the Short form of Korean Functional Health Literacy Test and 24 or more on the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination. Foot care education was conducted in a small group for 40 minutes, once a week, for three weeks. The education materials are composed of an easy term, picture and photographs to understand easily.RESULTS: The scores of diabetic foot care knowledge (t=4.57, p < .001), foot care self-efficacy (t=6.07, p < .001), and foot self-care behavior (t=4.18, p < .001) were significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. Foot health status was not significantly improved.CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that this education program can be used as a nursing intervention improving foot care knowledge, foot care self-efficacy, and foot self-care behavior in order to prevent the diabetic foot problems of elderly diabetic persons with low health literacy.