Effects of web-based diabetes education on knowledge retention in adult general population: An experiment

Objective: To conduct a study to improve diabetes knowledge through a web-based diabetes course in the general adult population. We hypothesised that participation in a web-based diabetes course would have a positive impact on diabetes knowledge retention. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Participants in the experimental group attended an interactive web-based diabetes course. The Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ24) was used to assess the diabetes knowledge levels. The DKQ24 was completed at the beginning and end of the observation period of 3 months. The experimental group also completed it immediately after the intervention. Results: At the end of the observation period, a statistically significant difference in the mean rank of DKQ24 scores was found in favor of the experimental group (p < .001). The results of the experimental group had a lower interquartile range (IQR = 3) than those of the control group (IQR = 5). Conclusions: This study suggests that providing a web-based diabetes course to the general population is effective and can improve diabetes knowledge and retention.