The Effect of Peer Education on Self-Care Behaviors and the Mean of Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Diabetes control in adolescents is a difficult and tedious process. Diabetic teens need<br />training to control it and prevent its complications. This study aimed to investigate the effect of peer<br />education on self-care behaviors and glycosylated hemoglobin among adolescents with type 1 diabetes.<br />Methods: This controlled clinical trial was conducted in Iran from July 2018 to June 2019. 84 teenagers with type 1 diabetes were selected using a simple random sampling and randomly divided into control and intervention groups using block randomization. The intervention group received 4 sessions of training by peers on self care behaviors in diabetes. The control group received the routine training.<br />The self-care questionnaire was filled out, and glycosylated hemoglobin was measured before and<br />three months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. The significance<br />level was set at P0.05). Besides, the mean glycosylated hemoglobin significantly increased three months after the intervention in the controls (P<0.001).<br />Conclusion: The implementation of peer education can improve the self-care behaviors and<br />glycosylated hemoglobin in adolescents. Hence, regarding its low cost and high safety, it is suggested<br />that this approach should be established in the control of other chronic diseases in order to strengthen the self-care behaviors in adolescents.