Aims: In this study we aimed to assess the effect of goal setting education on physical activity and glycemic control in patients with diabeted mellitus (DM).
Methods: In this randomized, double blind clinical trial, 128 diabetic patients were randomly divided into two groups. The first group received goal setting education, while the second group received no intervention as control group. Physical activity and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were measured before and after the intervention.
Results: After the intervention, the level of physical activity was significantly higher in the first group than the control group (P=0.001). Furthermore, the mean level of FBS at the end of inthervention was significantly lower in the first group than the control group (P=0.004).
Conclusions: Goal setting method could be considered as a therapeutic education method in diabetic patients in order to achieve higher physical activity and to control blood glocose level. However, further studies will be required to establish this educational method as a promising behavioural therapy in DM patients.
