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Occupational therapy improves glycemic control, quality of life in diabetes
Young adults with diabetes assigned to an occupational therapy intervention were more likely to experience improvements in glycemic control and diabetes-related quality of life compared with those assigned standardized educational materials, according to a study.
Elizabeth A. Pyatak, PhD, CDE, of the division of occupational science and occupation therapy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues evaluated data from the REAL Diabetes randomized controlled trial on 81 adults (mean age, 22.6 years; 63% women; 78% Hispanic) with diabetes (75% type 1 diabetes; mean HbA1c, 10.8%; mean diabetes duration, 9.7 years) to determine the effect of a manualized occupational therapy intervention on glycemic control and psychosocial well-being.
Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 41), which received biweekly sessions guided by occupational therapists, or a control group (n = 40), which received standardized educational materials and biweekly phone calls for 6 months.
The intervention group received a minimum of 10 hours of counseling from occupational therapists centering on:
- assessment and goal setting;
- living with diabetes;
- accessing health care and self-advocacy in health care and community settings;
- establishing and maintaining health-promoting habits and routines;
- receiving desired support from family and friends and connecting to the diabetes community;
- managing stress and coping with diabetes-related burnout; and
- reflecting on progress and planning for the future.
Data on HbA1c were measured with a point-of-care analyzer, and information about diabetes-related quality of life and use of self-monitoring blood glucose were collected through questionnaires.
The intervention group compared with the control group showed improvements in HbA1c (–0.57% vs. +0.36%; P = .01), diabetes-related quality of life (P = .04) and habit strength for SMBG (P = .05).
Among participants with type 1 diabetes, HbA1c decreased in the intervention group, whereas no change from baseline was observed in the control group. Among participants with type 2 diabetes, HbA1c modestly increased in the intervention group, whereas it significantly increased in the control group.
“Occupational therapy serves to assist patients with chronic conditions develop healthy lifestyle habits and integrate their self-care activities into everyday routines,” Pyatak told Endocrine Today. “This focus helps patients decrease the burden of self-care while increasing their adherence, thereby improving both clinical outcomes and quality of life.” – by Amber Cox
For more information:
Elizabeth A. Pyatak, PhD, CDE, can be reached at beth.pyatak@usc.edu.
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.