A randomized controlled trial for evaluating an Occupational Therapy intervention to integrate self-management with daily routines of people with type-۲ diabetes: Effects on glycemic control

Background and aim: To empower people with diabetes to participate in the self-management process, as the cornerstone of chronic disease management, health professionals develop and implement inter-disciplinary interventions. In this regard, occupational therapy professionals can empower people with diabetes to integrate self-management activities with their daily routines.Materials and method: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was developed and conducted to evaluate the occupational therapy diabetes self-management intervention. Thirty people aged ۳۰-۶۵ years with type-۲ diabetes participated in the study. They were selected by a simple non-probability sampling method from the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Iran University of Medical Sciences and randomly assigned to the intervention or control groups. The intervention group received the occupational therapy diabetes self-management program, provided over ten consecutive weeks. This intervention involved four face-to-face group sessions and six individualized and mostly remotely ones. The control group received an individually delivered educational program and three weekly phone calls. The primary outcome of the intervention was Hemoglobin A۱C, which was measured by analyzing the participants' blood samples before the intervention and three months later.Results: Independent T-test revealed a significant between-group difference in Hemoglobin A۱C after the intervention (P= ۰.۰۱۴) with a decreasing trend in both groups. Repeated measure ANOVA showed a significant effect of group (P= ۰.۰۴۶) on Hemoglobin A۱C. The results of the Bonferroni post-hoc test for the intervention group also showed a significant difference in Hemoglobin A۱C (P=۰.۰۰۶) during the three month of intervention.Conclusion: Occupational therapy self-management intervention can improve health outcomes by promoting routine participation of people with diabetes in self-management activities.

کلیدواژه ها:

Chronic disease ، Healthy lifestyle ، Routine