Effectiveness Of Lifestyle Counselling In Management Of Hypertension And Diabetes In An Urban Community Of Manipur: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: Lifestyle counselling is an effective, non- invasive way to manage weight, glycemic control, blood pressure and to reduce the risk of fatal complications in hypertensives and diabetics. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of lifestyle counselling in management of hypertension and diabetes in an urban community of Manipur, India. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 51 cases each in intervention and control groups. Study population was known cases of hypertension and/or diabetes. One-on-one lifestyle counselling was done on the four risk behaviors i.e, unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use. Effectiveness was assessed by a modified version of WHO STEPS questionnaire and physical and biochemical measurements collected at baseline and 6 months post-intervention. Chi-square test, independent t-test and paired t-test were used to compare the continuous variables between the two groups and within the group. Results: There was no significant difference at baseline and post-intervention blood pressure, BMI and waist-hip ratio and random blood sugar between intervention and control group. However, within group comparison showed a significant decrease in random blood sugar in the control group (p=0.044). Conclusions: Our results found no effect of the intervention among people with hypertension and diabetes. More intensive intervention with several sessions might be required to see a significant change in the control of hypertension and diabetes.