Use of food demonstration during dietary education and its consequence on glycemic control of diabetic patients

The use of food demonstration combined with a personalized meal plan is an effective but neglected method of dietary education for diabetic patients. This study aimed to ascertain the consequences of using food demonstrations to evaluate their effectiveness on glycemic control. Using a quasi-experimental design, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) and University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) were selected as the Control and Experimental groups respectively.  Although 180 patients were enrolled, 162 were analyzed. The Control Group (CG) received a personalized meal timetable, and 2 weekly phone calls follow-up but the Experimental Group (EG) in addition to what CG received, got diet education using food demonstrations. Data was collected using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. The statistics analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22 statistical software with a p-value of <0.05 regarded as significant. Patients' HBA1C, was assessed at baseline, three months, and six months (P1, P2 & P3). At P1, EG and CG had HBA1C values of 10.2±3.0 and 10.0±3.0 (P =0.616), HBA1C at P2 (EG: 8.5±1.4; CG: 9.3±2.3) P= 0.012. At P3 (EG: 6.6±0.8; CG: 8.1±1.8), P=0.160. Due to the dietary educational program using food demonstrations, participants in the experimental group had improved HBA1C levels by the end of the study.