Stage of change of 6 health-related behaviors among patients with type 2 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
Assessing patients' current stage of change toward 6 healthy behaviors related to diabetes control. Behaviors studied were smoking cessation (2) regular exercise; (3) consuming 5 servings or more of fruits and vegetables; (4) decreasing intake of refined sugar; (5) reducing saturated fat; and (6) self monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG).


METHODS
Stage of change (SOC) for several diabetes control-related behaviors was assessed for 737 patients with type 2 diabetes using a staging algorithm. Socio-demographic data were collected by a structured interview-based questionnaire.


RESULTS
There was high degree of readiness toward consuming diets with less saturated fat and simple sugar. Very low degree of readiness was reported for self-monitoring of blood glucose on a regular bases and for practicing physical exercise. Half of the participants (50.9%) were in the precontemplation stage for consuming ≥5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Significant correlations were obtained between the degree of readiness for several behaviors (p<0.01). Age, gender, income and education were all related to the stage of change of the studied behaviors (p<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with diabetes in Jordan are still in the pre-action stages for practicing exercise, consuming 5 servings or more of fruit and vegetable, and self-monitoring of blood glucose. The current finding suggests a need for nutritional education and interventions to raise awareness of lifestyle factors influencing glycemic control among diabetics.
Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan. hbawadi@just.edu.jo
Hiba Ahmad
HA
Bawadi
Angela Denise
AD
Banks
Fawaz
F
Ammari
Reema Fayez
RF
Tayyem
Shatha
S
Jebreen
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D015190:Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000009:adverse effects; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014675:Vegetables
D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D019422:Dietary Sucrose