Comparison of Two Educational Approaches on Knowledge Regarding Diet among Type II Diabetes Patients in East Delhi

Abstract

Background: Different educational approaches might lead to different levels of understanding among
diabetics. The present study compared the effectiveness of self-learning module (SLM) versus use of power
point presentation (PPT) on the knowledge of diet among type II diabetes patients (T2DM).
Methodology: This was a quasi-experimental study with pre and post-test design, conducted in the
community setting. 85 T2DM patients each were randomly allocated to either SLM or PPT and 170 were
controls without intervention. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire assessed knowledge on diet and
nutrition during baseline (pre-test) and 6 months after intervention (post-test). Changes in knowledge after
intervention was assessed using X2, Mc Nemar, paired ‘t’ test. p<0.05 was considered as significant.
Results: Both SLM and PPT were equally effective in increasing knowledge on the role of diet in diabetes,
different food items. PPT was significantly more effective in increasing the mean knowledge score regarding
diet in post-test (28.04+7.34) versus SLM (25.07+6.74) (p<0.001). PPT was more effective than SLM on
some aspects of diet viz. concept of carbohydrate as energy giving source, sources of carbohydrates (potato
and bread), meat as source of protein, “protein” as body builder; good oils (saffola, cannola, olive oil),
avoidance of butter; high glycaemic index (GI) foods (glucose, watermelon), medium GI food (muesli,
honey, digestive biscuits), low GI (dalia, brown bread, oats), protein as body building food, meat as source
of protein, consumption of fibre rich diet.
Conclusion: Both SLM and PPT were effective, more so with PPT on several aspects of diet and nutrition
among study subjects. Active interaction along with visual presentation of educative material in powerpoint
can be considered for educating T2DM patients on diet and nutrition during home visits by health workers.