The Effect of a 4-Week Intervention on Glycated Hemoglobin Levels in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes by Food Security Status

THE EFFECT OF A 4-WEEK INTERVENTION ON GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS IN ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES BY FOOD SECURITY STATUS by Rachel Silva Background: Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) face many challenges in selfmanagement of their current disease state. Nutrition education has been identified as a key component in managing metabolic control in individuals diagnosed with T2D. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a 4-week nutrition intervention on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and nutrition knowledge by food security status in individuals with T2D who attend the Family Health Centers of Georgia (FHCGA) located in West Atlanta. Methods: Subjects enrolled in the study (n=6) completed a nutrition knowledge survey at the beginning of the intervention and had their HbA1c values extracted from the FHCGA medical record. Subjects then entered a 4-week group nutrition intervention program. The program consisted of four lessons that focused on the basic diet for diabetes, food label reading, grocery store shopping, and eating out with diabetes. Subjects took a nutrition knowledge survey after the intervention and were asked to return to have a follow-up blood draw for HbA1c levels. Results: Two out of six subjects completed the entire protocol. The HbA1c for this subject was higher after the nutrition intervention. An additional two subjects completed all of the lessons and the post survey, but did not have a follow-up HbA1c drawn. The mean nutrition knowledge score pre-intervention (72.33 + 5.13) was lower than the mean post-intervention score (78.67 + 4.04) but was not significantly different. When subdivided by food security status, subjects with a higher food security status had a lower baseline HbA1c. Conclusion: Nutrition knowledge scores increased after nutrition education but not significantly. The effect of nutrition education on HbA1c by food security status could not be determined due to low participation. Future studies with a larger sample size and incentives for compliance are needed to investigate how group nutrition education influences metabolic control in food insecure and secure people with T2D.