Effectiveness of an educational intervention on the components of the metabolic syndrome of adults with type 2 diabetes: non-randomized clinical trial

Objective: To verify the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the components of metabolic syndrome in adults with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A non-randomized clinical trial included 51 adults (48.73±7.84 years old; 86.3% women) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome (intervention group, n=26; control group, n=25). The intervention consisted of a multidisciplinary health promotion educational program over six months, structured in seven workshops led by nurses. The primary outcome was the improvement of metabolic syndrome components, and the secondary outcome was the reduction in the number of metabolic syndrome criteria assessed at two time points, baseline and after six months of monitoring. Results: Compared to the control group, the educational program reduced glucose levels (p=0.001) and improved high-density lipopro-tein cholesterol concentrations (p=0.001) in the intervention group participants at six months. A significant decrease in the mean metabolic syndrome score was observed in the intervention group, while the control group showed an increase (p=0.033). At the end of the study, 11.5% of the participants in the intervention group no longer met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: A nurse-led health promotion educational program was effective in improving glucose and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels among adults with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, as well as reducing the number of metabolic syndrome components in the participants.