Issue 93 Item 1 A1c Refrigerator Poster Lowers HbA1c 25%

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A total of 150 patients with diabetes were randomized to receive either standard care or intervention inclusive of a computer-generated 11" x 17" color poster depicting an individual’s HbA1c status and goals along with personalized steps to aid in goal achievement. All patients enrolled received diabetes education during the 3 months before enrollment. HbA1c was performed at baseline and 6 months.

RESULTS—At baseline, there were no significant differences between patient groups in terms of age, sex, education level, race, and HbA1c or lipid levels. Among patients with baseline HbA1c 7.0%, there was an 8.6% (0.77% absolute) reduction in HbA1c among control subjects compared with a 17.0% (1.69% absolute) decline in the intervention group (P = 0.032). There were no differences between the control and intervention groups with respect to the frequency of patients experiencing any decline in HbA1c (63 vs. 69%, P = 0.87); among these patients experiencing a decline, the most substantial reductions were seen with the control group, which had a 13.3% (1.15% absolute) decline compared with the intervention patients, who reduced their HbA1c by 24.2% (2.26% absolute reduction; P = 0.0048). At study close, 77% of the patients had their poster displayed on their refrigerator.

CONCLUSIONS—This unique and personalized computer-generated intervention resulted in HbA1c lowering comparable to that of hypoglycemic agents. Diabetes Care 25:2-8, 2002