Effectiveness of Lifestyle Modification Education on Knowledge and Practices Regarding Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among Diabetic Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the fastest growing non-communicable diseases worldwide, and lifestyle modification is central to its management. Structured patient education
is widely recommended, yet is inconsistently delivered in routine care, and its real-world effect on patients’ knowledge and self-care practice is not well described in Indian outpatient settings.
Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge and lifestyle practice among patients with T2DM, to describe blood glucose monitoring behavior and self-perceived glycemic control, to document self-reported change
following a lifestyle modification education program, and to examine the association of knowledge and practice with selected demographic and clinical variables.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 61 adults with T2DM attending the Medical OPD/IPD of a tertiary care hospital in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, selected by purposive non probability sampling. A structured, expert-validated questionnaire (content validity greater than 80 percent expert consensus; knowledge tool reliability  0.89) covering demographic and clinical profile, a 15-item knowledge scale, an 8-item lifestyle-practice scale, glucose-monitoring behaviour and self-reported post-education change was administered. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test/Fisher’s exact test, and Pearson correlation, with significance set at p less than 0.05.

Results: The mean knowledge score was 9.49  3.29 of 15 (63.3percent), with 47.5 percent of participants at a moderate level and 26.2 percent each at adequate and inadequate levels. The mean lifestyle-practice score was 26.15  4.59 of 32 (81.7percent), with 86.9 percent in the good-practice band; however, physical activity was the weakest item (mean 2.54/4), with 50.8 percent exercising rarely or never. Only 63.9 percent could state their most recent blood glucose value, and of the values reported, 65.8 percent exceeded behavior,. Self-reported outcomes after the education programme were almost unanalyzedpositive (mean 4.89  0.41 of 5). Knowledge was significantly associated with age ( euqual to 21.52, df equal to  4, p less than 0.001) and with the presence of a co-existing chronic illness ( equal to  10.27, df equal to  2, p equal to  0.006); no variable was significantly
associated with practice, and knowledge and practice scores were only weakly correlated (equal to  0.21,  equal to 0.110).

Conclusion: Patients receiving lifestyle modification education reported near-universal satisfaction and high
adherence to clinician-directed behaviours, but this was not matched by adequate disease-specific knowledge,
self-initiated behaviours such as exercise, or objectively favourable glucose values. The findings indicate that current education achieves compliance without comprehension, and that programmes should verify understanding and be evaluated against measured glycaemic outcomes rather than self-report alone.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2454.325X.202618

How to cite this article:
Deepshikha, Deepanshi, Prakash N, Kumar S.
Effectiveness of Lifestyle Modification Education
on Knowledge and Practices Regarding Type 2
Diabetes Mellitus Among Diabetic Patients: A
Cross-Sectional Study. Int J Preven Curat Comm
Med. 2026;12(4): 1-8.