Effectiveness of Health Coaching in Diabetes Control and Lifestyle Improvement: A Randomized-Controlled Trial.

Ching-Ling Lin, Li-Chi Huang, Yao-Tsung Chang, Ruey-Yu Chen, Shwu-Huey Yang

Journal: Nutrients 2021;13(11):3878

PMID: 34836135

Plain Language Summary

World Health Organization statistics indicate that over 400 million people worldwide have Type 2 Diabetes. Health coaching is an approach to diabetes management that empowers patients to make healthier choices by changing their behaviours. This two-arm randomised controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of health coaching in reducing blood sugar levels and following a healthy diet among Type 2 diabetic patients. Patients with diabetes improved their HbA1c by 0.62% after six months of health coaching. Through health coaching, patients were also able to reduce their calorie intake significantly by reducing their consumption of whole grains, meat, proteins, fats and oils and increasing their intake of vegetables. In the intervention group, diet modifications were also associated with a decrease in HbA1c. The benefits of health coaching in Type 2 diabetes management needs to be confirmed in more robust studies. However, healthcare professionals can use the results of this study to understand how behaviour change in diabetic patients contributes to blood sugar management and healthy eating.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to look into the effectiveness of a 6-month health coaching intervention for HbA1c and healthy diet in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

The study was carried out via a two-armed, randomized controlled trial that included 114 diabetic patients at a medical center in Taiwan. During the 6-month period, the intervention group had health coaching and usual care for 6 months, and the control group had usual care only. The outcome variables were HbA1c level and healthy diet for follow-up measurement in the third and sixth month.

RESULTS

The study discovered a significant decrease in HbA1c and health diet improvement after the 6-month health coaching. Patients in the intervention group decreased their daily intake of whole grains, fruits, meats and protein, and fats and oils while increasing their vegetables intake.

CONCLUSIONS

Health coaching may be conducive to the blood sugar control and healthy diet of patients with type 2 diabetes. Further study on health coaching with higher-quality evidence is needed.

Address: Endocrinology & Metabolism, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei 106438, Taiwan.; School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan.; School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan.; School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan.; Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110301, Taiwan.; Research Center of Geriatric Nutrition, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan.

DOI: 10.3390/nu13113878

Patient Centred Factor

Mediators: Health coaching

Physical Environment

Psychosocial influences

Clinical Imbalances

Hormonal Neurological

Modifiable Lifestyle Factors

Diet Psychological

Jadad Score

Allocation Concealment

Yes

Nutrition Evidence Keywords

Health education HbA1c Type 2 diabetes Vegetables Protein Fat Calorie reduction Carbohydrates Whole grains Blood sugar control Healthy eating Health coaching Telephone coaching Calorie control Diabetes control Oils Healthy lifestyle Behaviour counselling

Bioactive Substances

None

Link outs

Free resources

Full Text Sources:

Medical:

MeSH Terms: Adult, Aged, Blood Glucose, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Female, Glycated Hemoglobin, Glycemic Control, Healthy Lifestyle, Humans, Male, Mentoring, Middle Aged, Taiwan, Treatment Outcome