728-P: Effects of Using Smaller Bowls on Adherence to Rice Intake Recommendations in Japanese Patients with Diabetes

This study focuses on Japanese type 2 diabetes outpatients with a rice intake higher than the recommended limit. We studied the use of smaller-than-conventional rice bowls in daily life and conducted a prospective study to assess its impacts on adherence to rice intake recommendations, weight, HbA1c value, and DDRQOL scores for 3 months. We selected 72 male participants whose current rice intake larger than guidelines, and whose rice bowls at home are larger than the recommended size. Study participants were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group (IG) consisted of 36 participants who were asked to use a designated rice bowl smaller than that they normally use. A control group (CG) of 36 participants used their usual rice bowls. Both groups received dietary recommendations for rice intake from doctors at the start of the study. A questionnaire was administered at baseline and at the 1-month and 3-month marks. This interim report compared patients’ adherence to rice intake recommendations, HbA1c value, and so on at the baseline and 1-month marks. With respect to the patients’ adherence to rice intake recommendations at 1 month, 19 participants out of 36 (52.8%) in IG responded that they “mostly did,” while only 10 subjects out of 36 (27.8%) in CG responded the same; more subjects in IG adhered to recommendations (p = 0.040). The mean weights of the subjects at the start of study was 74.2 kg in IG and 78.4 kg in CG. Mean HbA1c values were 6.74% in IG and 6.63% in CG. Neither indices showed any significance. The change in body weight over 1 month was -0.43 kg in IG and 0.27 kg in CG. The change in HbA1c values was -0.15% in IG and 0.09 % in CG. IG revealed a significant decrease in both factors (p = 0.004, p = 0.005 respectively). There was no significant difference in DDRQOL scores. The results suggest that smaller rice bowls increase patients’ adherence to the recommended rice intake, leading to a decrease in body weight and HbA1c values.