COUNCELLING

The Effectiveness and Feasibility of Activating Counselling Methods and Videoconferences in the Dietary Group Counselling of Subjects with a High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Other persons involved in the project:
Päivi Husman, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
Seppo Olkkonen, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
Terhi Jokelainen, Oulu University Hospital
Anja Taanila , University of Oulu, Department of Public Health and General Practice
Anna-Maria Keränen, University of Oulu, Department of Internal Medicine
Marja Vanhala, Deaconess Institute of Oulu, Department of Sports Medicine

Collaborators from the Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District's "Implementation Project of the Programme for the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes 2003-2007" are Karita Pesonen, Finnish Diabetes Association; and Leea Järvi, and Tapani Kallanranta, both from Oulu University Hospital.

Collaborators from the University of Oulu, Department of Public Health and General Practice are Olavi Timonen (also Oulu Arc Networked Health Care Center), Ulla Rajala, Liisa Hiltunen and Sirkka Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi.

ABSTRACT

There is an urgent need to develop effective strategies to prevent type 2 diabetes, as the number of subjects suffering from this disease is increasing rapidly in Finland. This is due to the increasing prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity as well as the ageing of the post-war generation. The complications involved in type 2 diabetes directly affect work ability: hyperglycaemia causes tiredness, and cardiovascular diseases and other complications cause work absenteeism and early retirement.

Finnish and American intervention studies have shown that lifestyle modification obtained through individual counselling is effective in preventing type 2 diabetes among high-risk subjects. The main issue is how to increase the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions to prevent or at least to postpone the development of T2D, which is both an increasing public health and occupational health problem.

The main objective is to develop an effective and feasible group counselling model for subjects with high risk of type 2 diabetes to be used both in basic and occupational health care. We aim to find new ways of promoting a healthier lifestyle and to study if group counselling is feasible through videoconferencing. Videoconferencing is a way of providing specialist services in remote areas with the help of new technology, but as of yet, we have no sure knowledge of how it works in group counselling and what its effects are on the interaction between counsellor and group participants.

Key words:   Type 2 diabetes, prevention, nutrition, lifestyle, group counselling, videoconferences