CODE Evaluation Results 2008
Community-based Diabetes Education Programme
Significantly Improve Self-Management for people with diabetes
54% of participants find managing their condition stressful;
Women less healthy than men as they have higher BMI and higher cholesterol levels
2008 results from the CODE Diabetes patient education programme, run by the Diabetes Federation of Ireland, have again demonstrated an improvement in diabetes self-management for the majority of patients attending, with participants ultimately understanding their condition better and making positive lifestyle changes thus improving daily self-management of their condition.
Initiated in 2007, CODE (Community Orientated Diabetes Education), a structured education programme for people with Type 2 diabetes saw demand increase dramatically in 2008 with 44 programmes run in the period compared to 26 in 2007.
A total of 559 patients with Type 2 diabetes attended their local programme in 2008. Duration of patients having type 2 diabetes ranged from newly diagnosed to 38 years with the majority of people having diabetes about 6 years.
Results show that
• 26% more participants reported they felt happier in the way they manage their condition after completing the programme;
• 98% of participants felt they knew what they needed to do to manage their condition after the programme, compared to 87% before;
• HbA1c levels reduced from an average of 7.5% (pre-attendance) to 7.1% (post attendance), showing that glycaemic control improved;
• Average weight loss among participants was 1.2kgs with a corresponding reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI) showing an improvement in lifestyle behaviours among the group.
However, a number of concerning issues raised by participants showed that
• 54% of participants find managing their condition stressful;
• 57% of participants reported sometimes feeling “bad” about their condition
but only 42% of these felt they were able to take positive action to handle their stress;
• 60% reported experiencing barriers to achieving their diabetes goals
• 68% of participants also had another medically diagnosed illness besides Type 2 diabetes with a heart related complication being the most prevalent other illness reported by more than a third of this group
• Women were less healthy than men with higher BMI, poorer diabetes control and higher “bad” cholesterol levels.
Launching the results, Anna Clarke, Health Promotion Manager of the Diabetes Federation of Ireland said “in the current climate with health services stagnating, the importance of patients being empowered to manage their condition is more important than ever. I am delighted to see the increase in the number of patients undertaking the programme and positively benefiting from the experience. I do hope the HSE will continue to part-fund this programme as the results clearly show the huge benefit it is having on Type 2 diabetes patients”.
There was a significant increase in participant’s knowledge scores, motivation to change lifestyle and make informed decisions about their diabetes. Over the 6 month duration of the programme, participants put this into practice by improving their dietary habits and setting targets for their diabetes management resulting in them feeling happier and more motivated about improving their health.
The response to CODE from participants has also been extremely positive. “CODE was a great help. I have learnt and understand more about my diabetes. I am more aware now and I have learnt to read food labels properly” said an Achill participant.
A CODE programme for parents of children with Type 1 diabetes was also piloted during 2008. Five programmes, were held nationally with a total of 91 parents attending, were held covering the psycho-social impact of diabetes on the child and the family and food choices for all children in the family. Evaluation of this programme was extremely positive with an outcome being the expressed desire to be able to meet as a group on a regular basis for peer support. The Diabetes Federation of Ireland is facilitating this request for all groups.
Welcoming the results, James Conway, Assistant National Director of Chronic Care, HSE said “the HSE’s Diabetes Expert Advisory Group (EAG) strongly recommends the further expansion of this and other similar programmes in Ireland so that more diabetes patients can access these programmes in their local community. Diabetes service development is a key priority of the HSE and I congratulate the Diabetes Federation of Ireland for its continuing support of the Diabetes EAG and its commitment to working towards a better service for all people with diabetes”.
CODE was developed by the Diabetes Federation of Ireland as a result of the organisation identifying that many people living in Ireland had poor access to community diabetes services. The philosophy of the CODE programme is based on empowerment, empathy and self-efficacy; it supports people with diabetes through group learning and participation. CODE encourages participants to become confident in their diabetes self-care management and aims to improve quality of life through informed decision making.
Anna Clarke, added “One of the main benefits we found is that on completion participants were able to link the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise to improved biomedical markers such as glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure levels which will help them in their daily diabetes control and reduce the risk of future health problems.”
For further information contact: Anna Clarke, Tel: (01)8363022
APP KOL/AC 24-04-2009