Effectiveness of cognitive constructivist and behavioral educational interventions to improve knowledge and practices of foot care in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Authors

  • Víctor Horacio Orozco Covarrubias Universidad de Guadalajara, México
  • Carlos Enrique Cabrera-Pivaral Universidad de Guadalajara, México
  • María de los Ángeles Aguilera-Velasco Universidad de Guadalajara, México

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14482/sun.40.03.200.961

Keywords:

Constructivism, behaviorism, quasi-experimental study, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic control

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive constructivist and behavioral educational interventions to reduce glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and to improve foot care knowledge and practices in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). 

Material and methods: Quantitative study with a quasi-experimental design of two educational interventions with pretest-posttest, with an experimental group of 21 participants to which an intervention based on cognitive constructivist theory was applied, and a control group with 21 participants to which an intervention based on behaviorism was applied. Participants were included through non-probabilistic discretionary sampling. Pretest-posttest intragroup analysis and pretest-posttest between-group analysis were performed. The Student's T test of related samples was used as a parametric test. For the analysis between the two interventions, difference of the differences was used. 

Results: Regarding the reduction of HbA1c, in the experimental group, it was reduced by 19 % in the pretest-posttest comparison. In improving the level of knowledge and practices for foot care, a statistical significance of 0.02 pretest-posttest was found in the experimental group. In the control group, although there was an improvement at both levels, no statistical significance was observed. 

In the difference of differences, the level of knowledge increased by 1, and the level of practices increased by 3.6, in the two interventions. 

Conclusions: The educational intervention based on cognitive constructivism was more effective and statistically significant for the decrease in HbA1c levels and for the improvement of knowledge and practices for foot care in people with T2DM, compared to the intervention educational based on behaviorism, although, in the latter, a decrease in HbA1c levels and an increase in knowledge and practices was also observed. The incorporation of a theory as a basis for educational interventions is of great importance, in disagreement with most educational interventions that are currently applied, which are not based on a theory for their development. 

Author Biographies

Víctor Horacio Orozco Covarrubias, Universidad de Guadalajara, México

Médico adscrito al Servicio de Epidemiologia, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara "Fray Antonio Alcalde". Doctor en Ciencias de la Salud Pública, Universidad de Guadalajara. vicnir@hotmail.com. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7171-3441 

Carlos Enrique Cabrera-Pivaral , Universidad de Guadalajara, México

Doctor en Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, investigador nacional (SNI), nivel II. carlos_cabrera@prodigy.net.mx. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9944-3498 

María de los Ángeles Aguilera-Velasco , Universidad de Guadalajara, México

Doctora en Ciencias de la Salud en el Trabajo, Universidad de Guadalajara, investigador nacional (SNI), nivel I. aaguileracd@hotmail.com.  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9912-705X

Published

2024-12-17

How to Cite

Orozco Covarrubias, V. H., Cabrera-Pivaral , C. E. ., & Aguilera-Velasco , M. de los Ángeles. (2024). Effectiveness of cognitive constructivist and behavioral educational interventions to improve knowledge and practices of foot care in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus . Salud Uninorte, 40(3), 729–743. https://doi.org/10.14482/sun.40.03.200.961

Issue

Section

Original Article

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