Self-Management Goal Setting in a Community Health Center: The Impact of Goal Attainment on Diabetes Outcomes

Objective. This study sought to evaluate the details of self-management goal setting in a largely Hispanic population of patients with type 2 diabetes, to evaluate the impact of various factors on goal attainment and to assess the impact of self-management on glycemic control. Setting. The intervention was conducted at Community Health Center, Inc., a large, multisite federally qualified health center in Connecticut caring for an ethnically and racially diverse population of medically underserved patients. Methods. Patients with type 2 diabetes participated in a diabetes self-management program delivered by diabetes educators. We evaluated factors associated with successful goal attainment and the impact of goal setting on glycemic control. Results. During a 3-year period, 488 patients participated in the self-management program and set a total of 2,133 goals. Hispanic patients and those with depression were as successful as others at setting and attaining goals. Goals focusing on medications and healthy eating were more often successfully attained. Successful goal attainment was independently associated with achieving or maintaining an A1C value of < 7.0%. Conclusions. Underserved, largely Spanish-speaking patients successfully set and attained specific goals, with a preference for those focused on healthy eating and medication taking. This evaluation suggests an association between the successful achievement of individual goals and glycemic control.