Effect of Virtual Nutrition Training Based on the Health Belief Model on the Awareness of Patients with Type II Diabetes

Background: Various teaching methods could be used to reduce complications in diabetic patients. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the effect of nutrition training based on the health belief model (HBM) and electronic methods on the awareness of patients with type II diabetes in Kermanshah, Iran in 2012. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at a diabetes clinic in Kermanshah City. In total, 60 patients were selected via convenience sampling and divided into three groups of 20, including SMS, blog, and collaborative blog. Data were collected before, immediately after, and three months after the educational intervention using a standard questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using the Kruskal-Wallis test, Friedman’s test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the significance level of 0.05. Results: The mean score of awareness was considered significant (P < 0.01). In addition, significant differences were observed in the perceived sensitivity and barriers, cue to action, and self-efficacy in the blog group (P < 0.05) before and three months after the intervention. In the collaborative blog group, a significant difference was denoted in the perceived severity and cue to action before and three months after the intervention (P < 0.05). Cue to action also differed significantly in the SMS group, and the self-efficacy score significantly changed only in the blog group after the intervention (P = 0.006). Conclusions: According to the results, using blogs, group/collaborative blogs, and SMS could effectively increase the awareness of the diabetic patients. Therefore, virtual training could enhance the structures of the HBM, with the exception of the perceived sensitivity domain.