Self-management of Diabetes for Empty Nest Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Despite much evidence showing the effectiveness of structured self-management education for diabetes, poor glycemic control remains a challenge among empty nest older adults. OBJECTIVE: We explored the effect of a health education intervention based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model on the self-management of empty nest older adults with type 2 diabetes in Lanzhou, China. METHODS: We conducted a 2-armed, randomized controlled trial using a multistage sampling method. A total of 100 patients were randomly assigned to receive either community nurse-led diabetes education based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model or general community diabetes education. Self-management scores and blood glucose were compared at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after the intervention. RESULTS: = .038) decreasing compared with the control group at 6 months postintervention. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that education based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model was more effective than general health education in improving diabetes self-management and glycemic control among empty nest older adults.