Physical Activity and Health (Oct 2021)

Effects of a Therapeutic Patient Education Network on the Glycated Hemoglobin and Body Mass Index in 59 Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Study from 2013 to 2018

  • May Fiani,
  • Antoine Dutilloy,
  • Matthieu Ariza,
  • Veronica Hulot,
  • Maxime Gignon

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5334/paah.130
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 1

Abstract

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Introduction: In 2019, there were 4.5 million people with diabetes in France. To assist them, general practitioners can offer therapeutic patient education sessions (TPE). An education network was created for this purpose by healthcare professionals in the south of the Aisne region of France. With hindsight, what has been the impact of a TPE network like this one? Objectives: The main objective of the study was to assess the effects of unstable type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients’ participation in the activities of an education network on body mass index (BMI) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). These patients were monitored from January 2013 to June 2018. The secondary objective was to determine the impact of adapted physical activity sessions (APA) and of TPE on the two selected clinic-biological parameters. Methods: A retrospective, quantitative, and monocentric, observational study was performed with analysis of the evolution of HbA1c and BMI of T2DM patients. They were monitored for more than six months in the network between 2013 and 2018, using the Logireso® database. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS® software. BMI and HbA1c were analyzed by Student›s T test for paired samples. A linear regression test was performed to assess whether there is a correlation between two variables among those measured. Results: Fifty-nine patients met the inclusion criteria (20.92% of participants in the network). The decreases in BMI (–1.65 kg/m²) and HbA1c (–0.86%) of the patients studied were significant (p < 0.001). This change was even more drastic for patients with higher initial values of BMI and HbA1c (result for the highest bracket). However, the study did not link APA or TPE sessions to changes in BMI or HbA1c. Conclusion: The study showed the overall effectiveness of the proposed program in reducing BMI and HbA1c without highlighting a single factor that could explain it.

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