Sustaining short-term improvements over the long-term: results from a 2-year diabetes self-management support (DSMS) intervention

Aim

This study examined the long-term impact of a 24-month, empowerment-based diabetes self-management support (DSMS) intervention on sustaining health-gains achieved from previous diabetes self-management education (DSME).

Methods

Prior to the intervention, all participants received 6 months of mailed DSME consisting of weekly educational newsletters coupled with clinical feedback. The intervention consisted of 88 weekly group-based sessions that participants were encouraged to attend as frequently as they needed. Sessions were guided by participants’ self-management questions and also emphasized experiential learning, coping, goal-setting, and problem-solving. Baseline, 6-month, and 30-month assessments measured A1C, weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, lipids, self-care behaviors, and QOL.

Results

This report is based on 60 African-American adults with type 2 diabetes (n = 89 recruited at baseline) who completed the study. Post 6-month DSME, participants demonstrated significant improvements for diastolic BP (p < 0.05), serum cholesterol (p < 0.001), healthy diet (p < 0.01), blood glucose monitoring (p < 0.05) and foot exams (p < 0.01). Post 24-month intervention, participants sustained the improvements achieved from the 6-month DSME and reported additional improvements for healthy diet (p < 0.05), carbohydrate spacing (p < 0.01), insulin use (p < 0.05), and quality of life (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that an empowerment-based DSMS model can sustain or improve diabetes-related health gains achieved from previous short-term DSME.