The Effect of Diet Planning on Hemoglobin A1c in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Sample from the UNRWA Clinic in Gaza Field ^†

Abstract

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may need proper counselling to bring about a real change in their lifestyle regarding a proper food intake, proper weight reduction, management of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and commitment to intake drugs. To determine the effect of diet planning on the hemoglobin A1c among T2DM patients. One group intervention involved 53 uncontrolled T2DM cases with a previous HbA1c reading of more than 7% was objectively selected from the diabetic patients registered at UNRWA in Al-Bureij health center. The group received a weekly educational session with counselling to improve their dietary habits and change their lifestyle. The counselling sessions continued for three months. Venous blood was collected to measure HbA1c before and after the intervention. Body mass index (BMI) was also measured before and after the counselling. A paired t-test was used to detect significant changes in the parameters. The number of female patients was 31 (58.49%). The mean (SD) age was 57.69 (9.01). The age ranged from 34 to 79 years. Comparing the results before and after the intervention, 83% of patients had improved levels of HbA1c. The mean (SD) of HbA1c “before” was 8.83 (1.48), while the mean (SD) of HbA1c “after” was 7.84 (1.49); (p < 0.001). In addition, about 40% of patients had an HbA1c less than 7% at the end of the study. On the other hand, 71% of patients exhibited an improvement in the measurement of BMI; however, no major physical changes were observed in BMI. A provision of a proper health education, diet counselling, lifestyle modification, and regular monitoring will improve the BMI and enhance glycemic control, which will prevent complications among T2DM patients. Thus, each patient must be monitored according to the lifestyle and dietary habits of health service providers.