Effect of Family-centered Empowerment Model on Eating Habits, Weight, Hemoglobin A1C, and Blood Glucose in Iranian Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Background: Families play a peculiar role in adherence to treatment in diabetic patients; therefore, it seems that interference in motivational, psychological, and self-issued characteristics based on the family-centered empowerment model (FCEM) affects this adherence. Aim: The present study aimed to determine the effect of FCEM on eating habits, weight, hemoglobin A1C, and blood glucose control in Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes. Method: This semi-experimental study was conducted on 70 participants with type 2 diabetes in a diabetes clinic in Birjand, Iran, in 2018. The participants were selected via purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of control (n=35) and intervention (n=35) using block randomization. The intervention group received family-centered empowerment training for four weekly-held 90-min sessions. Data were collected using demographic and disease characteristics form and Azartel et al.’s Dietary Behaviors Questionnaire and analyzed in SPSS software (version 19). Results: The mean age scores of participants in the intervention and control groups were 49.66±6.37and 49.46±5.98 years, respectively. The intervention group showed an increasing trend through time, where the mean scores for eating habits and blood glucose had insignificant improvement one month (P>0.05) and three months (p 0.05). Implications for Practice: The FCEM can improve nutritional behaviors, hemoglobin A1C, and blood glucose in type 2 diabetic patients. This intervention can guide health care providers on how to improve the eating habits of diabetic patients through family empowerment training.