Effects of a tailored lifestyle self‐management intervention in patients with Type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to develop, implement and evaluate a brief intervention to improve adherence to the recommended lifestyle changes for patients with Type 2 diabetes, in particular to help patients to reduce the total amount of fat consumed and to increase lifestyle physical activity levels. DESIGN AND METHOD: A brief, tailored lifestyle self-management intervention for patients with Type 2 diabetes was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. One hundred participants (aged 40 - 70 yrs) completed assessments at three time points- baseline, three months and one year. Participants were allocated to either an intervention group who received the brief tailored intervention including follow-up telephone calls, or a usual care control group. RESULTS: Results indicate that the intervention was successful in helping patients to reduce fat intake and, to a lesser extent, increase lifestyle physical activity levels. These self-reported changes in behaviour were reflected in the objective data with weight maintenance in the intervention group compared to the control group, together with a significant reduction (2 cm) in waist circumference. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide further evidence of the effectiveness of tailored interventions for lifestyle change.