The Effect of Workshop Educational Method on the Health Literacy of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease with significant financial, psychological, and social impacts, and health literacy plays a crucial role in managing diabetes. Thus, it is essential to enhance literacy in this area through education, especially interactive workshops. This study aimed to determine the effect of the workshop educational method on the health literacy of patients with T2DM in Aran and Bidgol villages, Iran. Methods: This study was conducted as a quasi-experimental study. The research sample consisted of 120 type 2 diabetic patients (equally assigned to test and control groups) who met the inclusion criteria and were randomly selected from Hossein Abad and Kagari health centers under the coverage of Aran and Bidgol health centers. In this study, a census was performed rather than using a sampling. The intervention group was subjected to the training sessions for four weeks. Patients’ information, including socio-demographic factors, health literacy, nutrition knowledge, and nutrition behaviors, was collected before and after the intervention using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed by SPSS 26 using an independent samples T-test, paired samples T-test, and Chi-square test. Results: The results revealed a significant enhancement in the mean scores of awareness, behavior, and health literacy of the test group following the educational intervention (P<0.001). Conclusion: Overall, it was found that educational intervention significantly improves health literacy, awareness, and nutritional behaviors in patients with T2DM.