Educational attainment moderates the effect of a brief diabetes self-care intervention

Abstract

Aims Those with less education are at increased risk for developing diabetes and have a poorer prognosis. Intensive diabetes self-care interventions have been more effective at improving glycemic control in those with lower educational attainment. Due to limited resources, the focus has shifted to brief, cost-effective health interventions. This study examined whether educational attainment moderates the effect of a brief, telephone delivered self-care intervention on glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. Methods Randomized clinical trial. Participants (N = 62) were assigned to receive treatment as usual or treatment as usual plus a brief telephone intervention. The primary outcome measure was hemoglobin A1c. Results A significant education by intervention group interaction effect indicated that participants with higher educational attainment had greater improvement in glycemic control (A1c) than those with less educational attainment; whereas, educational attainment was unrelated to change in glycemic control (A1c) within the control group. Conclusions People with higher educational attainment may benefit to a greater extent from brief self-care interventions for diabetes, while those with lower educational attainment may require more intensive treatment.