Turtle Therapy on HbA1c and Self-Efficacy Levels With Type 2 Diabetes

NCT07298837 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: RCS04072024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 51
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study examined the effect of live and video turtle therapy on hemoglobin A1c tests and self-efficacy levels in adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus for the first time using pre-test and post-test methods.

Conditions

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; Pet-Human Bonding

Keywords

Hemoglobin A1c Test; Pet Therapy; Self-efficacy; Turtle Therapy; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Hemoglobin A1c

  Hemoglobin A1c is a clinically useful index of average blood glucose levels over the past 120 days (average red blood cell lifespan). It most accurately reflects glycemic control over the past 2-3 months. Hemoglobin A1c was measured twice, before and after the study.

  12 week

• Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale

  Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale was developed by Sleath and colleagues (2016) to assess self-efficacy in overcoming barriers to diabetes medication use. Its Turkish validity and reliability were established by Kavuran \& Türkoğlu (2022) using a 19-item, 3-point Likert-type scale. The scale consists of three subscales: "Requirement" (items 1-4), "Busyness" (items 5-9), and "Worry" (items 10-19). The scale scores range from 19 (low self-efficacy) to 57 (high self-efficacy). Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale was measured twice, before and after the study.

  12 week

Study Arms (3)

Live Turtle Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Before starting the study, a nurse who was unaware of the study details (to prevent bias) administered the "Structured Patient Information Form" and "Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale", and the "hemoglobin A1c " value measured immediately before the study began was recorded. At the end of the three-month pet therapy period, the same nurse administered the "Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale" test, and the physician recorded the "hemoglobin A1c" value result as requested. During this process, patients continued their routine Type 2 Diyabetus Mellitus treatment.

Behavioral: Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)

Video Turtle Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Before starting the study, a nurse who was unaware of the study details (to prevent bias) administered the "Structured Patient Information Form" and "Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale", and the "hemoglobin A1c" value result measured immediately before the study began was recorded.In addition, at the end of the three-month pet therapy period, the same nurse administered the "Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale" and the physician recorded the "hemoglobin A1c" value result requested. During this process, patients continued their routine Type 2 Diyabetus Mellitus treatment.

Behavioral: Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

A nurse who was unaware of the study details prior to its commencement (to prevent bias) administered the "Structured Patient Information Form" and "Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale", and the "hemoglobin A1c" value result obtained immediately before the study began was recorded. No intervention was performed on these patients. Patients only continued their routine Type 2 Diyabetus Mellitus treatments. In addition, "Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale" was administered to patients at the end of the three-month period, and the "hemoglobin A1c" value requested by the physician was recorded.

Interventions

Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy) BEHAVIORAL

The individuals were asked to take on the responsibility of caring for the turtles. The patients in this group were given one turtle and the necessary materials (aquarium, food, aquarium sand, etc.) for 12 weeks. Within this scope, patients fed the turtles twice a day, once in the morning (08:00) and once in the evening (20:00), and changed the water in the aquarium every two days with water that had been kept at room temperature beforehand. In addition, they were asked to spend 20 minutes a day with the turtle. During the twelve-week (3-month) period in which the individuals took responsibility for turtle care, the "Turtle Monitoring Form" was administered by the executor to evaluate the time spent with the turtle and the implementation of practices related to how they performed turtle care.

Live Turtle Group

Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy) BEHAVIORAL

In addition, the consultant faculty member provided approximately 15 minutes of face-to-face information to patients regarding watching the turtle videos. Patients in this group were asked to watch documentaries featuring turtle videos for at least 20 minutes a day for twelve weeks. The "Turtle Viewing Form" was administered by the researcher to determine how many minutes per day the individuals watched the turtle videos.

Video Turtle Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being 18 years of age or older,
• Agreement to participate in the study,
• Being literate,
• Being able to communicate verbally,
• No vision, hearing, or speech impairments,
• Agreeing to adopt and care for a turtle (turtle group),
• Ownership of a smartphone, tablet, or computer (video turtle group),
• Having been diagnosed with T2DM and having been receiving DM treatment for at least 6 months,
• HbA1c \>7%.

You may not qualify if:

• Refusal to participate in the study,
• Not having T2DM,
• Having received DM treatment for less than 6 months,
• Having a psychiatric disorder diagnosed by a psychiatrist.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Karadeniz Technical University: lead
• Gümüşhane Universıty: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Gümüşhane University

Gümüşhane, 29600, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Human-Animal Bond

Interventions

Animal Assisted Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Diabetes Mellitus; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases; Human-Animal Interaction; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 9, 2025
• First Posted: December 23, 2025
• Study Start: July 18, 2024
• Primary Completion: August 1, 2024
• Study Completion: November 1, 2024
• Last Updated: December 23, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

TU (1)