Evaluation of diabetes self-management education in geriatrics with type 2 diabetes in Turkey

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to evaluate the diabetes education efficiency of individuals over 65 years old in Turkey, which has the highest prevalence of diabetes in Europe. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 320 patients who attended Turkey diabetes self-management group education program (TDSMEP) between 2016 and 2020 in a secondary hospital. Participants who have been followed up for a maximum of 9 months are grouped as over 65 years old and under. RESULTS: Of the 320 patients, 114 formed the geriatric group and 206 the non-geriatric group. After the training, the number of patients who had HbA1c <= 7% increased significantly in both the geriatric (28.1-45.6%) and non-geriatric (19.9-42.2%) (P=0.001) groups. After the training, similar HbA1c goals were achieved in the geriatric and non-geriatric groups. The most significant HbA1c decrease was observed at the 3rd month of follow-up and remained stable until the 9th month. In logistic regression analysis, the factors affecting HbA1c failure (HbA1c>7%) after training in the geriatric group were long diabetes duration (OR=1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.13, P=0.01), high basal HbA1c levels (OR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.03-1.67, P=0.03), and low education level (OR=3.88, 95% CI: 1.54-9.76, P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to evaluate the effectiveness of TDSMEP for geriatric individuals whose HbA1c <= 7% increased from 28% to 45.6% during follow-up after the training. TDSMEP is recommended for all adult age groups, regardless of age range.