. Zahra Khiyali; . Afsaneh Ghasemi; . Razie Toghroli; . Arash Ziapour; . Nahid Shahabi; . Azizollah Dehghan; . Asiyeh Yari
Volume 11, Issue 4 , May 2021, , Pages 1-9
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Diabetes is one of the most expensive and chronic diseases of elderly age.Knowledge and self‑care behaviors play an important role in treating diabetes and preventing ...
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BACKGROUND: Diabetes is one of the most expensive and chronic diseases of elderly age.Knowledge and self‑care behaviors play an important role in treating diabetes and preventing its sideeffects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of peer group on self‑care behaviors and glycemicindex in the elderly with type II diabetes mellitus in Fasa city, Fars province.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This quasi‑experimental study was conducted on 100 elderlypatients with type II diabetes (50 patients in the intervention group and 50 in control group) referredto the diabetes center. Among the elderly, the intervention group was selected as a trainer based onthe checklist of the peer group and was trained by the researcher. In addition to the usual care of thediabetes clinic, the patients in the intervention group received training from their peers for 8 weeksduring 8–45 min of training sessions. Data were collected using a valid self‑reported questionnaireincluding demographic variables, awareness, and diabetes self‑care behaviors (Summary of DiabetesSelf‑care Activities), as well as free practice (fasting blood sugar [FBS] and hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]),which was completed by both groups before and 2 months after the intervention. Then, the datawere entered into the SPSS statistical software, version 22 and were analyzed using Chi‑square test,independent t‑test, and descriptive statistical methods. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS: The results showed that the two groups of intervention and test were identical in termsof demographic information. In the intervention group, before and after 2 months of educationalintervention, there was a significant difference in increasing awareness and self‑care behavior indiet, physical activity, blood sugar testing, foot care, and medication (P < 0.001). However, thisdifference was not significant in the control group (P < 0.05). In the intervention group, the meanFBS and quarterly (HbA1c) index decreased significantly (P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: This study showed that teaching self‑care program, in the same way, has beeneffective in improving self‑care behavior and blood sugar index in the elderly with diabetes andsuggested that this educational method be used in other chronic diseases.
