Effects of Lifestyle Education Programs on Diabetes Control in Rwanda
Condition: Diabetes Mellitus
MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Strategies to reduce the burden of diabetes in Rwanda, like in other resource poor settings,
      include involving diabetic patients in their own care and targeting modifiable risk factors
      through adopting appropriate dietary and lifestyle habits. According to previous research
      carried out in developed countries, lifestyle modifications may have effect on the
      development of diabetes and prevention of its complications.

      However, direct evidence to show whether lifestyle intervention is beneficial for diabetic
      patients in resources limited countries like Rwanda is an open question. Though in these
      countries, access to healthy diet is claimed to be the barrier of implementation of
      therapeutic lifestyle based initiatives, we hypothesize that knowledge gaps are more
      important barriers than access to healthier diets and other lifestyle habits. We therefore
      would like to carry out this intervention to assess the effects of lifestyle education
      programs on glycemic control among people with diabetes followed up at CHUK.
    

Detailed description: 
      The study is a randomized controlled trial with two groups (one interventional and one
      control) to be followed up for 12 months. It will be carried out in Kigali University
      Teaching Hospital, the main referral hospital in Rwanda.

      Lifestyle intervention will consist in group counselling on dietary habits (meals
      composition, importance and ways to reduce unhealthy foods: salty (especially because
      hypertension is of concern among diabetic people and blood pressure will be one of the
      secondary outcome measures), sugar, unsaturated fats, smoking, alcohol abuse and adapt
      healthier regimens including fruits & vegetables), effects of regular physical activity,
      importance of adherence to medications (including taking medications as directed, regular
      medical follow up,etc…), diabetes complications, actions to control blood sugar and ways of
      coping with stress.

      Education & counselling sessions will be provided by a team of registered dietitians, nurses
      and counselors who will have been trained for this purpose prior to the intervention and will
      be taking between 45 to 60 min.

      After baseline data collection, subjects in the control group will continue to receive usual
      care delivered by attending physicians and nutritionists at CHUK. This includes usual monthly
      medical follow up and individual conselling on dietary habits and lifestyle change delivered
      by attending physicians and/or dietitians
    

Intervention name(s): lifestyle counselling
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A 45-min lifestyle educational session will be delivered to the subjects randomized to the intervention group every month for one year.
Lifestyle intervention will consist in group counselling on dietary habits, effects of regular physical activity, importance of adherence to medications, diabetes complications, actions to control blood sugar and ways of coping with stress.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: Diabetes lifestyle intervention Rwanda