Understanding Factors Influencing Blood Sugar Control in Working-age Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Evaluating a Health Behavior Change Program: A Cross-sectional Study with a Quasi-experimental in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major health concern, especially among working-age groups. Methods: The study consisted of two main phases. In the first phase, 247 people with T2DM who were working age and took part in a survey in April 2023 were asked about factors that affected their blood sugar control. Participants aged 35–59 years were diagnosed with diabetes (fasting blood sugar [FBS] ≥126 mg/dl) and other chronic conditions using stratified random sampling. Phase two implemented a behavior change program for 44 uncontrolled T2DM working-age individuals (FBS >130 mg/dl), using a quasi-experimental design with two groups. Following Bernard’s formula, the sample size included intervention and control groups of 22 individuals each, chosen from different villages by simple random sampling. This study conducted the group intervention in September 2023, with each session lasting 1 week. Results: In the blood sugar control factors analysis in working-age individuals, obesity increased the risk of impaired control by 1.22 times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.14–10.31). It was found that a higher perception of disease severity was conducive to improved management of blood sugar by 1.38 times (95% CI = 0.03–0.39). After the implementation of a behavior modification program, a notable improvement in the control of dietary sugar levels was found (P < 0.01), resulting in a statistically significant reduction in blood sugar levels (P = 0.01). Conclusion: The local public health center can customize the program to improve the health outcomes of individuals diagnosed with T2DM. This can be achieved by modified according to the community context.

Keywords

• behavior modification program
• type 2 diabetes mellitus
• working-age group