Behavior change in diabetes education

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to explore how diabetes education produces cha nge in self-care behavior. METHODS Published research on diabetes education relevant to behavior change was ex amined and a framework was formulated for the study of behavior change. RESULTS Research indicates that education improves patient self-management, which i n turn improves glycemic control and health status. Yet, there is relativel y little information on what types of education produce what particular ben efits for which types of patients. Moreover, we do not know the benefits of various forms of education (for selected groups) relative to their costs. Empirical studies of how education produces behavior change are few, but mu ch preliminary work has been done to identify potential behavioral determin ants that can be targeted by interventions. Theoretical models of behavior change have been advanced (eg, stages of change) but they have yet to be ri gorously tested. CONCLUSIONS Initial answers to the research questions can be generated by conducting mo re sophisticated analyses of the type of data already being collected. Howe ver, obtaining complete answers to some of these questions will require mor e extensive data collection, including large-scale studies of multiple inte rventions in multiple patient groups.