Self-monitoring of blood glucose changed non-insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes patients' beliefs about diabetes and self-monitoring in a randomized trial

• Published in: Diabetic medicine Vol. 25; no. 10; pp. 1218 - 1228
• Main Authors: French, D. P., Wade, A. N., Yudkin, P., Neil, H. A. W., Kinmonth, A. L., Farmer, A. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2008; Blackwell
• Subjects: Aged; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring - methods; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring - psychology; Case-Control Studies; Culture; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - psychology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - therapy; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; health beliefs; Humans; illness beliefs; illness perceptions; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; self-monitoring of blood glucose; Surveys and Questionnaires; Type 2 diabetes; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vertebrates: endocrinology; Endocrinopathy; Type 2 diabetes; health beliefs; Pancreatic hormone; self-monitoring of blood glucose; Randomization; Selfcare; Self control; Clinical trial; Nutritional status; Public health; Belief; Human; Obesity; Social perception; Nutrition; Nutrition disorder; Patient; Metabolic diseases; illness perceptions; Insulin; Treatment; illness beliefs; Endocrinology; Glycemia
• ISSN: 0742-3071; 1464-5491; 1464-5491
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2008.02569.x

Aims  To determine whether differences in beliefs about diabetes and its treatment resulted from different intensities of self‐monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in non‐insulin treated patients with Type 2 diabetes in the Diabetes Glycaemic Education and Monitoring (DiGEM) trial. Methods  Patients (n = 453) were randomized to usual care, less‐intensive SMBG and more intensive SMBG. Beliefs about diabetes were measured with a standard questionnaire (the revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire; IPQ‐R). Changes in beliefs were analysed using analysis of covariance (ancova) with adjustment for baseline values. Mediation analyses assessed whether differences in behavioural outcomes between groups could be attributed to differences in beliefs. Results  Completed questionnaires were returned by 339 patients (74.8%). Respondents were mean (± sd) age 65.9 ± 10 years and with diabetes duration of 4.8 ± 4.7 years (median 36, range 1–384 months). Concerns about the consequences of diabetes increased in both self‐monitoring groups, relative to control subjects [P = 0.004; Cohen's d standardized effect size = 0.19 less intensive and d = 0.36 more intensive monitoring]. No other beliefs about diabetes differed between groups. Beliefs about the importance of self‐testing increased in both self‐monitoring groups relative to the usual‐care group (P < 0.001; d = 0.57 less intensive and d = 0.63 more intensive monitoring). Changes in psychological well‐being did not differ between groups, but control patients reported greater increases in general (P = 0.014) and specific (P < 0.001) dietary adherence than did patients in the self‐monitoring groups. These outcomes were not mediated by intervention‐related changes in beliefs. Conclusions  Despite changes in some beliefs about diabetes differing between groups there were no corresponding changes in self‐reported health behaviours. This suggests that changes in illness beliefs resulting from SMBG do not cause changes in diabetes‐related health behaviours.