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.