Comparison of Two Educational Approaches on Knowledge Regarding Diet among Type II Diabetes Patients in East Delhi

Abstract

Background: Different educational approaches might lead to different levels of understanding amongdiabetics. The present study compared the effectiveness of self-learning module (SLM) versus use of powerpoint presentation (PPT) on the knowledge of diet among type II diabetes patients (T2DM).Methodology: This was a quasi-experimental study with pre and post-test design, conducted in thecommunity setting. 85 T2DM patients each were randomly allocated to either SLM or PPT and 170 werecontrols without intervention. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire assessed knowledge on diet andnutrition during baseline (pre-test) and 6 months after intervention (post-test). Changes in knowledge afterintervention was assessed using X2, Mc Nemar, paired ‘t’ test. p<0.05 was considered as significant.Results: Both SLM and PPT were equally effective in increasing knowledge on the role of diet in diabetes,different food items. PPT was significantly more effective in increasing the mean knowledge score regardingdiet in post-test (28.04+7.34) versus SLM (25.07+6.74) (p<0.001). PPT was more effective than SLM onsome aspects of diet viz. concept of carbohydrate as energy giving source, sources of carbohydrates (potatoand bread), meat as source of protein, “protein” as body builder; good oils (saffola, cannola, olive oil),avoidance of butter; high glycaemic index (GI) foods (glucose, watermelon), medium GI food (muesli,honey, digestive biscuits), low GI (dalia, brown bread, oats), protein as body building food, meat as sourceof protein, consumption of fibre rich diet.Conclusion: Both SLM and PPT were effective, more so with PPT on several aspects of diet and nutritionamong study subjects. Active interaction along with visual presentation of educative material in powerpointcan be considered for educating T2DM patients on diet and nutrition during home visits by health workers.