Introduction
Healthy eating and following the key guidelines may be some of the most difficult changes to make for people with diabetes. At that, they might need health workers’ guidance and mentorship to help them make a smooth transition and accept the struggles that come with having the said condition. This paper will discuss an article by Miller, Kristeller, Headings, and Nagaraja (2014) that describes the effects of mindful eating in patients with diabetes and highlight the advantages of this type of intervention.
Rationale and Research Hypothesis
Miller et al. (2014) acknowledged the difficulties of living with diabetes and illness-related emotional distress. In their article, the researchers provide other studies’ findings that demonstrated that overall, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) do not maintain an adequate diet. Namely, less than half of individuals with T2DM adhere to the recommended daily servings. Many fail to regulate their food intake due to a history of unhealthy eating behavior that included excessive dieting and weight cycling. As Miller (2017) notes in her article, mindful eating may be the way out for patients with T2DM. The author describes mindful eating as an approach that entails understanding one’s needs, identifying triggers to food intake, and stopping the habit of emotional overeating. Miller et al. (2014) put forward a hypothesis that a mindful eating intervention might compel individuals with T2DM to follow the health recommendations with more consciousness and precision.
Study Design and Sampling Method
Miller et al. (2014) conducted a prospective controlled trial during which participants were assigned to treatment groups at random, stratified by race. The authors recruited T2DM patients through local medical practices, the university newswire, and community flyers. The inclusion criteria entailed being age 35 to 65, having officially diagnosed T2DM for more than one year, and BMI (body mass index) over 27.0. At this stage, the researchers collected baseline data about the individuals. The participants enrolled in a 3-month intervention program, after which Miller et al. (2014) followed through with the second round of data collection. The participants underwent follow-up assessments at one and three months after the second data collection.
Intervention Description
Both groups of participants followed a manualized intervention that, however, varied in the chosen approach and contents. The first group enrolled in an MB-EAT for Diabetes (MB-EAT-D) program that was originally created to help those suffering from binge eating disorder and obesity. The participants in this group were encouraged to raise awareness of their internal experiences and eating patterns. The goal of the MB-EAT-D program was to disrupt the cycles of “mindless” and stress-related food intake and help to find substitutes for these addictions. The participants practiced guided meditation at the facility as well as at home. They were taught “inner wisdom” (acknowledging their needs and emotions) and “outer wisdom” (adopting T2DM self-management strategies). The second group was taught based on the approach titled SC, Smart Choices. The SC program is both behavioral and social-cognitive, it focuses on the practical part of T2DM self-management. The participants in the second group set dietary goals, which were revised every session. They also received comprehensive information regarding nutrition and food value in regards to their condition.
Findings and Implications for Medical Practice
Miller et al. (2014) report that both groups demonstrated significant weight loss with no tangible statistical differences between them. Participants in both groups showed the ability to control food intake and minimize emotional overeating. However, the SC group demonstrated increased fruit and vegetable consumption as opposed to their counterparts in the MB-EAT-D group. Thus, the researchers concluded that individuals in the second group might have benefitted from more clear instructions and recommendations as to what foods to consume and what to avoid. Moreover, the SC participants gained more diabetes-related knowledge and scored more on the self-efficacy scale than MB-EAT-D patients. It appears that the SC program offered more practical information that the participants found applicable to their lifestyles. The MB-EAT-D was more effective in teaching observation strategies and relieving distress from the restraints that diabetes imposes on those affected.
Miller et al. (2014) admit that the findings of the present study appear reasonably promising. As for medical practice, they imply that there is a clear rationale for guiding T2DM patients on their way to healthy living, which includes improved eating habits. However, Miller et al. (2014) do not make any conclusions as to which of the two programs – MB-EAT-D or SC – might be a better fit. They both can be used by nurses, and the latter should make a choice based on patients’ preferences. Some patients need emotional support, which MB-EAT-D clearly offers. On the other hand, some individuals benefit more from changing their behavioral patterns by accessing practical recommendations.
Conclusion
Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires certain changes in the patient’s lifestyle to keep it manageable and sustainable. As of now, some of the widely recognized patient-level interventions for this condition include self-management strategies such as proper medication taking, improved dietary habits, and self-monitoring. Miller et al. (2014) compared and contrasted two different approaches to diabetes self-management – mindful eating and smart choice. Both programs proved effective and helped study participants lose weight and gain control over their eating patterns. The study implies that T2DM can benefit from guidance and improve their quality of life by following medical recommendations. Nurses should consider communicating what changes a patient should make to handle the condition in the best way possible and find an approach that would fit their personality.
References
Miller, C. K., Kristeller, J. L., Headings, A., & Nagaraja, H. (2014). Comparison of a mindful eating intervention to a diabetes self-management intervention among adults with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial. Health Education & Behavior: The Official Publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 41(2), 145–154.
Miller C. K. (2017). Mindful Eating With Diabetes. Diabetes Spectrum: A Publication of the American Diabetes Association, 30(2), 89–94.