The Impact of Diabetes Self-Management Education on Glucose Management and Empowerment in Ethnic Armenians With Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of diabetes self-management education on glycemic control and perceptions of empowerment in Armenian American immigrants diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A quasi-experimental pre and post design was used to investigate the impact of using education on self-management as measured by A1C levels and empowerment scores. Nine hours of diabetes self-management education classes were offered in the Armenian language to 75 clients at 2 adult health day care centers over 6 weeks. The participants were mostly first-generation Armenian immigrants aged 65 years and older. A1C results, the 8-item Diabetes Empowerment Scale (DES), and the 15-item Armenian Ethnic Orientation Questionnaire-Revised (AEOQ-R) were used to determine the impact of education on self-care management. RESULTS: After institutional review board approval was obtained, 75 participants completed the study. A paired t test indicated that the postintervention mean A1C level was significantly lower than the preintervention mean A1C level. The postintervention mean DES score was significantly greater than the preintervention mean DES score. No mediating effects of age, gender, acculturation, and number of years with the disease were identified for either A1C or DES score. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate the efficacy of the diabetes self-management education classes in improving diabetes self-care management skills.