Food and nutrition education among older adults with diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the level of knowledge about food and health of older adults with diabetes enrolled at the Senior Assistance Center of the Federal University of Pernambuco (Brazil). METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a pretest-posttest methodology was carried out involving older adults with type 2 diabetes. A food and nutrition education project was developed in three courses, with workshops on the physiopathology of diabetes, treatment with nutrition and medication as well as the importance of physical activity. Evaluations involved the determination of scores (0 to 10 points). The Student's t-test and chi-square test were used for the comparison of groups and food/nutrition workshops, with the level of significance set to 5% (p < 0.05). RESULT: No significant learning was found in the posttest analysis of each course. However, in the comparison of means obtained by each patient in each course, significant learning was found in the first course (majority upper level) and significant improvement was found in the level of knowledge based on scores in the three courses, although without achieving statistical significance (p = 0.096). In the comparison of learning in the workshops on nutritional treatment in the three courses, significant learning was found in 50% of the topics addressed. CONCLUSION: The level of nutritional learning increased following the intervention. Nutrition education can be used in the treatment of older adults with diabetes as a way to ensure the adherence to overall treatment, which includes nutrition as its main focus.