Mean Baseline HbA Research Articles

Hemoglobin A 1c Results of Clients Six Months After Diabetes Self-Management Education

LEARNING OUTCOME: To describe one important outcome measure for evaluating diabetes education interventions. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial showed that glycosylated hemoglobin was highly predictive of risk for development or progression of complications related to diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends a goal for hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c) of < 7.0 (%) and suggests action at > 8.0. HbA 1c values were obtained at baseline and six months for 681 non-pregnant adults (≥ 18 years) who completed a comprehensive diabetes self-management education program based on ADA national standards. All individuals had a primary diagnosis of diabetes. HbA 1c analyses were done at the Diabetes Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Missouri-Columbia. At baseline, only 25 (4%) individuals had a normal HbA 1c (4.0–6.0) while 418 (61%) had values > 8.0 and 160 (23%) were > 10.0. Mean baseline HbA 1c was 8.8. After six months mean HbA 1c decreased 16% to 7.4. At six months, 480 (70%) individuals had HbA 1c values ≤ 8.0, with 114 (17%) being normal. Only 201 (30%) individuals had HbA 1c values > 8.0 and just 35 (5%) were > 10.0. These data demonstrate the value of documenting outcomes for evaluating and substantiating the effectiveness of diabetes education interventions.