A Comparison Of Two Diabetic Education Programs Designed To Treat Adult Onset Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the diabetic education programs of two certified diabetic dietitians, one with heavy focus on diet and the other with focus on exercise, over 6 months to determine which program was more successful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. A total of 40 randomly selected subjects that met the criteria for having type 2 diabetes mellitus were separated into 2 groups (exercise and diet). Participants in each group had an initial evaluation of their body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, morning fasting blood sugar, waist circumference, weight, and blood pressure. These measures were repeated again after three and six months of treatment for analysis. A 2 x 3 repeated measures ANOVA with one between subjects factor group (diet & exercise) and one within subjects factor time (pre, 3 months, 6 months) was used to determine the effects of diabetic education program on the following dependent variables: BMI, hemoglobin A1c, morning fasting blood sugar, waist circumference, weight, diastolic blood pressure, and systolic blood pressure. After 6 months of either an intensive exercise regimen or diet regimen, there were significant decreases seen for all dependent variables (BMI, hemoglobin A1c, fasting blood sugar, waist circumference, weight, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure). It was further indicated that the exercise group was associated with accelerated decreases in these variables as compared to the diet group by a significant margin. Individualized exercise programs appear to be the most effective at controlling type 2 diabetes as well as decreasing the risk of other comorbidities.