The effect of educational intervention based on the behavioral reasoning theory on self-management behaviors in type 2 diabetes patients: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Diabetes self-management education is necessary to improve patient outcomes and reduce diabetes-related complications. According to the theory of behavioral reasoning, the likelihood of performing a behavior is predicted by the link between beliefs, motivation, intention, and behavior. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational intervention based on the Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT) on self-management behaviors in patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Methods: A randomized controlled trial based on BRT was conducted on 113 patients with type 2 diabetes, with a control group and an intervention group followed for 3and 6 months. Data were collected using a researcher-made demographic questionnaire based on the constructs of BRT and behaviors related to self-management in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the intervention group were provided, 8 sessions of diabetes self-management education based on BRT. The control group only received the usual training of the center. Data was analyzed using SPSS26 software. Results: After the educational interventions in the intervention group, there were statistically significant changes observed in the mean scores of all constructs, fasting blood sugar, and glycosylated hemoglobin. On the other hand, no statistically significant change was observed in the mean grades of the control group. All the observed changes were significant at the 0.05 level. Conclusions: The results of this study were in favor of the effectiveness of an educational intervention that promotes diabetes self-management behaviors, using the principles of the behavioral reasoning theory. Which can be used in the design of health promotion programs for patients with diabetes. Trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT), IRCT20131014015015N21.