However , overall there did not appear to be a significant difference between individual education and usual care .
In the small number of studies comparing group and individual education , there was an equal impact on HbA1c at 12 to 18 months .
BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes is a common and costly chronic disease which is associated with significant premature mortality and morbidity .
Although patient education is an integral component of diabetes care , there remain uncertainties regarding the effectiveness of different methods and modes of education .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of individual patient education  on metabolic control , diabetes knowledge and psychosocial outcomes .
Nutrition Education and Social Learning Interventions for Type II Diabetes
Two diabetes education programs were compared to a control condition . Seventy-eight type II ( non-insulindependent ) diabetic out patients were r and omly assigned to nutrition education , nutrition education plus social learning intervention , or wait-list control conditions . Both interventions involved five weekly meetings that focused on reducing calorie intake , increasing dietary fiber , and decreasing fat consumption . The social learning condition also included individualized goal setting and feedback and training in problem-solving and relapse prevention . Within-group analyses and between-group comparisons generally revealed greater improvement in targeted goals ( e.g. , calorie intake , fat reduction ) among intervention conditions than the control condition . There were few differences in more distal measures of outcome such as weight or glycosylated hemoglobin . The social learning component did not improve outcome more than the nutrition education program . Possible reasons for the observed findings and the advantages and limitations of focused time-limited diabetes education efforts are discussed
However , overall there did not appear to be a significant difference between individual education and usual care .
In the small number of studies comparing group and individual education , there was an equal impact on HbA1c at 12 to 18 months .
BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes is a common and costly chronic disease which is associated with significant premature mortality and morbidity .
Although patient education is an integral component of diabetes care , there remain uncertainties regarding the effectiveness of different methods and modes of education .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of individual patient education  on metabolic control , diabetes knowledge and psychosocial outcomes .