DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sasjm.2026.v12i07.007

Pages: 743-748

Diabetes self-management education may be strengthened when it addresses how people understand and respond to their illness. This matched controlled pretest–posttest study examined immediate changes following a 60-minute Common-Sense Model-based education session among adults with type 2 diabetes in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam. Sixty-six participants from two commune health stations were matched by sex, age group, and diabetes duration (33 intervention and 33 control). Outcomes were diabetes knowledge (24-item Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire), illness perceptions (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire), and diabetes management self-efficacy (Thai Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale). Within-group and posttest between-group comparisons were conducted with paired t tests, reflecting the matched design. Immediately after the session, the intervention group had higher mean knowledge than the control group (20.42 ± 1.52 vs 10.36 ± 2.47; p < 0.001) and higher scores in dietary management, self-monitoring, physical activity, and regimen adherence (all p < 0.001). Posttest scores also differed between groups across all eight illness-perception dimensions (p < 0.001 for seven dimensions; emotional response p = 0.011). The proportion of intervention participants able to name a perceived cause of diabetes increased from 5/33 to 33/33, compared with 6/33 to 9/33 in the control group. The findings indicate substantial immediate changes in knowledge, self-efficacy, and illness representations following the theory-based session. Because one health station represented each study arm and outcomes were measured immediately, the results do not establish sustained behavioral or clinical benefit. Multi-site trials with longer follow-up are warranted.