The Effect of Educational Intervention on Knowledge and Self-Care of Elderly People with Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most expensive and chronic diseases of elderly age. Knowledge, participation of the elderly and self-care behaviors play an important role in diabetes treatment and preventing its side effects. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of educational intervention on knowledge and self-care in the elderly with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Khorzugh city, Isfahan province. This interventional quasi-experimental study was performed on 80 available diabetic elderly people in 1396 in Khorzugh, Isfahan. Participants were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. The intervention was designed in 3 sessions (45 minutes) for the intervention group and 2 sessions for elderly and their relatives in two direct and indirect methods. Two months after completing the intervention, a post-test was performed. For data collection, a researcher made questionnaire was used. For analyzing the data, descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), Kolmogorov Smirnov test, Chi-Square tests, t-test and paired t-test were done using in SPSS16 software. Comparing the mean scores of knowledge (P = 0.860) and self-care (P = 0.875), there was no significant difference between two intervention and control groups before intervention, but after the intervention, the mean scores of knowledge and self-care in the intervention group were significantly more than control group (P < 0.001). Also, at level of physical activity (P = 0.651) and regular use of drug (P = 0.551) between the intervention and control groups after the intervention, and the mean scores of knowledge (P = 0.563) and self-care (P=0.237) in control group before and after the intervention, there was no significant difference (P < 0.05). Knowledge level, self-care education and, therefore, self-care behavior of the elderly have a vital role in controlling diabetes and preventing its complications. Also, efforts to educate their relatives and increase their awareness can be very effective in increasing the ability of the elderly to care for themselves.