Development of a food literacy program for delayed progression of diabetic kidney disease

Abstract

This study was a randomized controlled trial. The objective was to study the effect of a food literacy program in patients with diabetic kidney disease whether it could help control their blood sugar levels, and, improve or stabilize the levels of chronic kidney disease of such diabetic patients. The population and sample were diabetic patients in the chronic kidney clinic, Bangkruai hospital, Nonthaburi province, stages 2 – 4, receiving continuous treatment and were unable to control their blood sugar levels, randomized using the block of four method to a total of 48 people (24 people in the control group and 24 people in the study group). The study group would receive a food literacy program while the control group would receive regular follow–up examinations by a doctor at the chronic kidney clinic. Conduct research was carried out between August 2022 – August 2023. The study found that the majority of the sample were elderly patients (with mean age about 70 years). Most of which were males in the control group, but most were females in the study group. When compared between groups, the mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) tended to improve in the study group. Especially, such difference was found to be statistically significant at 12 months (p = 0.013). Mean fasting blood sugar (FBS) and mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were not significantly different between groups (p > 0.05). It can be concluded that such a food literacy development program could not significantly reduce blood sugar levels in patients with diabetic kidney disease, but it could help control the level of chronic kidney disease from diabetes, either by improving or stabilizing, over a 1–year period. Therefore, it will be useful for further development into a program on nutritional therapy for patients in other chronic disease clinics.