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Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of peer-led self-management education in improving glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes in a low-income country (Mali). We conducted an open-label randomised controlled trial. A total of 151 adults (76% women, mean age 52.5) with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c≥8%), treated in the diabetes consultation units of two secondary health centres in Bamako, were allocated to peer-led structured patient education (n = 76) or conventional care alone (n = 75). The intervention group received 1 year of culturally tailored structured patient education (3 courses of 4 sessions) delivered in the community by five trained peer educators. Both groups underwent conventional diabetes monitoring and follow-up. Primary outcome was the mean absolute change in HbA1c from baseline to 12 months. 177 education sessions were delivered to the intervention group. Patient attrition was 8%. From baseline to 12 months, the decrease in HbA1c levels was 1.05% (SD = 2.0; CI95%: 1.54;-0.56) in the intervention group compared with 0.15% (SD = 1.7; CI95%: -0.56; 0.26) in the control group, p = 0.006. Mean BMI change was -1.65 kg/m2 (SD = 2.5; CI95%: -2.25; -1.06) in the intervention group and +0.05 kg/m2 (SD = 3.2; CI95%: -0.71; 0.81) in the control group, p = 0.0005. Mean waist circumference decreased by 3.34 cm (SD = 9.3; CI95%: -5.56;-1.13) in the intervention group and increased by 2.65 cm (SD = 10.3; CI95%: 0.20; 5.09) in the control group, p = 0.0003. Peer-led structured patient education delivered over 1 year to patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes in Mali yielded substantial improvements in glycaemic control and anthropometric parameters. This is of importance for the scaling up of efficient interventions in low-resource settings in the future. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01485913.

Diabetes is associated with a dramatic mortality rate due to its vascular complications. Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to enhanced glycation of erythrocytes and oxidative stress. Even though erythrocytes play a determining role in vascular complications, very little is known about how erythrocyte structure and functionality can be affected by glycation. Our objective was to decipher the impact of glycation on erythrocyte structure, oxidative stress parameters and capacity to interact with cultured human endothelial cells. In vitro glycated erythrocytes were prepared following incubation in the presence of different concentrations of glucose. To get insight into the in vivo relevance of our results, we compared these data to those obtained using red blood cells purified from diabetics or non-diabetics. We measured erythrocyte deformability, susceptibility to hemolysis, reactive oxygen species production and oxidative damage accumulation. Altered structures, redox status and oxidative modifications were increased in glycated erythrocytes. These modifications were associated with reduced antioxidant defence mediated by enzymatic activity. Enhanced erythrocyte phagocytosis by endothelial cells was observed when cultured with glycated erythrocytes, which was associated with increased levels of phosphatidylserine-likely as a result of an eryptosis phenomenon triggered by the hyperglycemic treatment. Most types of oxidative damage identified in in vitro glycated erythrocytes were also observed in red blood cells isolated from diabetics. These results bring new insights into the impact of glycation on erythrocyte structure, oxidative damage and their capacity to interact with endothelial cells, with a possible relevance to diabetes.

Objectives: Health literacy refers to the ability of individuals to gain access to, use, and understand health information and services in order to maintain a good health. The assessment of health literacy profiles in a population is potentially crucial to respond to health needs. The Health Literacy Questionnaire explores nine dimensions of health literacy and has been shown to display robust psychometric properties. The aim was to test the validity of the multidimensional Health Literacy Questionnaire and to describe the health literacy profiles in a French population at risk of cardiovascular disease. Methods: Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from 175 participants attending health education and support programmes in local associations of patients in Paris. Analysis included scale reliability, confirmatory factor analysis, and health literacy profiles via descriptive statistics. Results: In confirmatory factor analysis, the nine-factor structure was close to the original Health Literacy Questionnaire. A nine-factor confirmatory factor analysis model was fitted to the 44 items with no cross-loadings or correlated residuals allowed. Given the restricted nature of the model, the fit was satisfactory: χ2WLSMV(866 df) = 1383.81, p = 0.0000, comparative fit index = 0.925, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.918, root mean square error of approximation = 0.058, weighted root mean square residual = 1.175. Composite reliability ranged from 0.77 to 0.91. Among the 9 scales of the Health Literacy Questionnaire, the highest scores were found for scale 1 ‘Feeling understood and supported by healthcare professionals’ and scale 9 ‘Understand health information enough to know what to do’ and the lowest for scale 2 ‘Having sufficient information to manage my health’ and scale 7 ‘Navigating the healthcare system’. Conclusion: The French version of the Health Literacy Questionnaire was shown to be psychometrically robust with good reliability. In the context of France, the 9 scales of Health Literacy Questionnaire allow a thorough assessment of health literacy strengths and weaknesses to respond to health literacy needs and improve the accessibility of health information and services.

Aim The aim of this study was to describe and explore the health literacy in people living with type 2 diabetes in mainland France and its association with socioeconomic factors. Methods ENTRED 3 is a nationally representative French diabetes population-based survey conducted in 2019. Health literacy was measured using two scales from the Health Literacy Questionnaire: ability to actively engage with healthcare providers (HLQ6) and sufficient understanding of health information to know what to do (HLQ9). Gender-stratified analyses and multivariate linear regressions were conducted to study health literacy according to education level and country of birth, adjusting for age and antidiabetic treatment. These analyses were weighted to account for the study’s complex sampling design and non-response bias. Results Two thousand seven hundred fourteen people living with type 2 diabetes responded to the ENTRED 3 questionnaire. The mean scores for respectively HLQ6 and HLQ9 were significantly higher among men (4.03 (standard error of mean sem 0.02); 4.16 (sem 0.03)) than among women (3.87 (sem 0.01); 3.98 (sem 0.05)). At comparable age and antidiabetic treatment: i) education level were positively associated with HLQ6 and HLQ9 among men; ii) women born in North Africa had lower HLQ6 and faced more pronounced educational inequalities with regards to HLQ9 than women born in France. Conclusion This study provides a reference for health literacy in persons living with type 2 diabetes in France and identifies a link between health literacy and socioeconomic factors. Its results represent a significant step in the understanding of the mechanisms of social inequalities in health in France.

ObjectivesConsidering health literacy needs is a key component of health services responsiveness to diabetes self-management among vulnerable individuals. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide a detailed analysis of the health literacy of people with type 2 diabetes in relation to their daily self-care practices.DesignNested qualitative study in the ERMIES randomised controlled trial testing a 2-year structured care in type 2 diabetes. First round of semidirected interviews at the beginning of the trial with thematic analysis of content. Second round at the completion with directed interviews guided by the first round’s themes together with Health Literacy Questionnaire.SettingsInterviews conducted at home.ParticipantsForty-four (31 females/13 males, 30–79 years, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)≥7.5%) consecutive participants out of 100 recruited in the ERMIES trial from 4 diabetology outpatient settings (Reunion Island). Forty-two respondents to the second round interviews.ResultsThree poles structured into eight themes characterised practices in context: health knowledge, disease management, expertise and social support. The relationships of participants in each of the eight themes were differentiated, ranging from functional to interactive and critical. Treatment and follow-up were essentially functional, while diet and exercise remained more interactive. Social support and relationship to health professionals were important determinants of disease management.ConclusionsTreatment management and disease monitoring remain primarily the job of health professionals, as opposed to diet, physical activity and social support being part of ordinary practice. Decision-making, as a shared social task, as well as resources for participation in health services, should be considered for relevant interventions in type 2 diabetes.Trial registration numberNCT01425866.

Background Diabetes self-management education is exposed to attrition from services and structured ambulatory care. However, knowledge about factors related to attrition in educational programs remains limited. The context of social vulnerability due to low income may interfere. The aim of this study was to identify the sociodemographic, clinical, psychometric, and lifestyle factors associated with attrition from the ERMIES multicentre randomized parallel controlled trial (RCT) that was interrupted due to the combination of both slow inclusion and high attrition. Methods The ERMIES trial was performed from 2011 to 2016 on Reunion Island, which is characterized by a multicultural population and high social vulnerability. The original objective of the RCT was to test the efficacy of a2-year structured group self-management education in improving blood glucose in adult patients with nonrecent, insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes. One hundred participants were randomized to intensive educational intervention maintained over two years ( n  = 51) versus only initial education ( n  = 49). Randomization was stratified on two factors: centres (five strata) and antidiabetic treatment (two strata: insulin-treated or not). Sociodemographic, clinical, health-care access and pathway, psychometric and lifestyle characteristics data were collected at baseline and used to assess determinants of attrition in a particular social context and vulnerability. Attrition and retention rates were measured at each visit during the study. Multiple correspondence analysis and Cox regression were performed to identify variables associated with attrition. Results The global attrition rate was 26% during the study, with no significant difference between the two arms of randomization (9 dropouts out of 51 patients in the intervention group and 17 out of 49 in the control group). Male gender, multiperson household, low household incomes (< 800 euros), probable depression and history of hospitalization or medical leave at inclusion were associated with a higher risk of attrition from the study in multivariate regression. Conclusions Social context, vulnerability, and health care history were related to attrition in this 2-year longitudinal comparative study of structured care. Considering these potential determinants and biases is of importance in scaling up interventions aimed at the optimization of long-term care in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Trial registration ID_RCB number: 2011-A00046-35, Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT01425866 (Registration date: 30/08/2011). Source of funding: Ministry of Health, France.

While therapeutic patient education is now recognized as essential for optimizing the control of chronic diseases and patient well-being, adherence to treatment and medical recommendations is still a matter of debate. In type 2 diabetes, the nonadherence to therapy, estimated at more than 40%, is perceived as a barrier for improving the prognosis despite recent therapeutic advances. Interventional studies have barely begun to demonstrate the effectiveness of technical and behavioral actions. The aim of this review is to question the concept of adherence in terms of therapeutic education based on quantitative and qualitative data. The research on therapeutic education has shown the effectiveness of structured actions in type 2 diabetes, but adherence is rarely an end point in randomized trials. A positive but inconsistent or moderate effect of education actions on adherence has been shown in heterogeneous studies of varying quality. Program types, outlines, theoretical bases, and curricula to set up for action effectiveness are still being discussed. Qualitative studies, including sociological studies, provide a useful and constructive focus on this perspective. Adherence is a soft and flexible tool available to the patient in his/her singular chronic disease trajectory, and as such, integrates into individual therapeutic strategies, including socio-cultural interactions, beyond the medical explanation of the disease and the patient. Four key elements for the development of structured therapeutic education are discussed: 1) the access to health literacy, 2) the contextualization of education activities, 3) the long-term chronic dimension of self-management, and 4) the organizational aspects of health and care. Rather than focusing the objective on behavioral changes, structured therapeutic education actions should attempt to provide tools and resources aimed at helping individuals to manage their disease in their own context on a long-term basis, by developing health literacy and relational and organizational aspects of the health professionals and system.

Definitions of health literacy have evolved from notions of health-related literacy to a multidimensional concept that incorporates the importance of social and cultural knowledge, practices and contexts. This evolution is evident in the development of instruments that seek to measure health literacy in different ways. Health literacy measurement is important for global health because diverse stakeholders, including the WHO, use these data to inform health practice and policy, and to understand sources of inequity. In this Practice paper, we explore the potential for negative consequences, bias and epistemic injustice to occur when health literacy instruments are used across settings without due regard for the lived experiences of people in various contexts from whom data are collected. A health literacy measurement approach that is emic-sensitive, strengths based and solution oriented is needed to minimise biased data interpretation and use and to avoid epistemic injustice.

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Background Self-management education programs can reduce the complications and mortality in type 2 diabetes. The need to structure these programs for outpatient and community care with a vision for long-term maintenance has been recognised. In Reunion Island, an area affected by epidemiological and nutritional transition, diabetes affects 18% of the adult population over 30 years, with major social disparities, poor glycaemic control and frequent cardiovascular complications. Methods/Design ERMIES is a randomised controlled trial designed to test the efficacy of a long-term (2 years) structured group self management educational intervention in improving blood glucose in non-recent, insufficiently controlled diabetes. After an initial structured educational cycle carried out blind for the intervention arm, patients will be randomised in two parallel group arms of 120 subjects: structured on-going group with educational intervention maintained over two years, versus only initial education. Education sessions are organised through a regional diabetes management network, and performed by trained registered nurses at close quarters. The educational approach is theoretically based (socio-constructivism, social contextualisation, empowerment, action planning) and reproducible, thanks to curricula and handouts for educators and learners. The subjects will be recruited from five hospital outpatient settings all over Reunion Island. The main eligibility criteria include: age ≥18 years, type 2 diabetes treated for more than one year, HbA1c ≥ 7.5% for ≥3 months, without any severe evolving complication (ischaemic or proliferative retinopathy, severe renal insufficiency, coronaropathy or evolving foot lesion), and absence of any major physical or cognitive handicap. The primary outcome measure is HbA1c evolution between inclusion and 2 years. The secondary outcome measures include anthropometric indicators, blood pressure, lipids, antidiabetic medications, level of physical activity, food ingestion, quality of life, social support, anxiety, depression levels and self-efficacy. An associated nested qualitative study will be conducted with 30 to 40 subjects in order to analyse the learning and adaptation processes during the education cycles, and throughout the study. Conclusions This research will help to address the necessary but difficult issue of structuring therapeutic education in type 2 diabetes based on: efficacy and potential interest of organising on-going empowerment group–sessions, at close quarters, over the long term, in a heterogeneous socioeconomic environment. Trial registration ID_RCB number: 2011-A00046-35 Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT01425866