Knowledge of diabetic patients about their disease before and after implementing a diabetes education program

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, prospective and comparative study is to evaluate the knowledge that diabetic patients have about their disease before and after implementing a Diabetes Education Program. Fifty-four diabetic patients participated in the study, which occurred from April 2004 to April 2005. Data collection was performed using a questionnaire. The study population was characterized as adult and elderly subjects, with ages between 29 and 78 years; 60 years, on the average; Most participants were female 40/54 (74.1%); white 32/54 (59.3%); married 37/54 (68.5%); retired 23/54 (42.6%); with incomplete primary education 32/54 (59.3%); and an income of one to two minimum wages 16/54 (29.6%). The patients' knowledge regarding their disease increased significantly (p<0.05); especially considering the general topics concerning diabetes mellitus: concept of the disease, physiopathology and treatments; other topics that stood out were physical activity and nutrition.