Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Peter Johnson
Committee Member
Katrina Pann
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
blood glucose control, chronic illness, correlation analysis, diabetes, disease control, frequency of testing, glucose monitoring patient questionnaire, glucose testing meters, HbA1c, independent t tests, Pearson’s correlation, quasi-experimental design, self-management, self-testing, test strip subsidies, type 2 diabetes mellitus
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to conduct a preliminary examination of the effects of the provision of free glucose testing meters, and test-strips subsidies on blood glucose control among diabetics. The study examined whether there was any impact on the frequency of testing, and whether there was a correlation between the frequency of testing and blood sugar control, as measured by HbA1c tests.
The researcher conducted a study of the program using a quasi-experimental design, and used the Glucose Monitoring Patient Questionnaire to compare the results between a test group and a control group of participants. Independent t tests were used to compare the means of both groups, and the data analyzed to determine if there were differences between the average measures of HbA1c between the groups, and if there were any differences between the frequencies of testing. Pearson’s correlation was also used to determine whether there was a relationship between the dependent variable, blood sugar control as measured by HbA1c, and the independent variable, the frequency of self-testing.
The results indicated a weak positive correlation between the numbers of self-tests done per day, and blood sugar control, as indicated by self-reported HbA1c. It was also determined that the relationship between the number of self-tests done per day, and blood sugar control, as indicated by self-reported HbA1c, was not statistically significant, r = .12, n = 210, p = .865.
The study concluded that providing diabetics with free glucose testing meters and subsidies on test strips had no effect on their blood sugar control. However, when provided with free glucose testing meters, diabetics self-tested more frequently.