Effectiveness of education-based diabetes intervention on diabetes-related knowledge among persons over 60 years: An experimental study

Worldwide, diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health challenge to the elderly population. This study evaluated the effectiveness of education-based diabetes intervention (EBDI) on diabetes-related knowledge (DRK) among persons over 60 years. It also determined the significant differences within study groups and demographic variables of the participants. An experimental research design employing pre- and post-test measures involving intervention (n = 410) and control (n = 410) groups was adopted. A sample size of 820 eligible participants were investigated. The content of EBDI was taught to the participants in the intervention group. Data collection was done using a “Diabetes-Related Knowledge Questionnaire (DRKQ)” demonstrating a reliability index of 0.82. Using frequency counts, percentage scores and independent chi-square statistics, all data were analyzed at a significance level of 0.05. It was found that EBDI has a significant effect on DRK of the participants (81%). Additionally, there was a significant difference in demographic variables of alcohol consumption, tobacco intake, and marital status (pvalue < 0.05) while none was found in gender, age, and education (p-value > 0.05). Also, a significant difference was recorded in the study groups on DRK pretest measures (p < 0.001) while none existed in the groups on DRK post-test scores (p > 0.870). The study concluded that EBDI is significantly effective on DRK among persons over 60 years in Nigeria. Therefore, the need for educational institutions and care providers to adopt reliable education-based intervention such as EBDI, to maximize diabetes care to the elderly population particularly in Nigeria becomes paramount.