Effectiveness of an Intensive Lifestyle Modification Program among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at Thasae Hospital

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive lifestyle modification program on glycemic control, medication reduction, and medication discontinuation among patients with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the study compared patient satisfaction between the intensive program and routine care. The sample consisted of 80 patients with type 2 diabetes, equally divided into an experimental group (n = 40) and a comparison group (n = 40). Research instruments included the intensive lifestyle modification protocol, health record forms, and questionnaires assessing self-care behaviors and patient satisfaction. Health outcomes were evaluated through physical measurements and laboratory blood tests. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Independent t-test and Paired sample t-test.

The results revealed that after completion of the intensive program, the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in self-care behaviors (p-value < 0.05). Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were significantly decreased compared to pre-intervention levels (p-value < 0.05). Furthermore, the experimental group shows significantly greater improvements than the control group across all clinical variables. Notably, 55.0% of participants in the experimental group achieved optimal glycemic control, while 15.0% reduced diabetes medication use and 10.0% discontinued medication, proportions substantially higher than those observed in the routine care group. Participants in the experimental group also reported significantly higher satisfaction levels than those receiving routine care (p = 0.021). These findings suggest that integrating an intensive lifestyle modification program into standard clinical practice and health policy may enhance the quality of diabetes care.