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

NCT ID: NCT07298837

Last Updated: 2025-12-23

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

51 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-07-18

Study Completion Date

2024-11-01

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

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.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

In the international literature reviewed, only two studies reported that pet therapy reduced hemoglobin A1c tests and increased self-efficacy in adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. One study examined the use of live fish (repeated care behaviors during pet care, such as feeding twice a day and cleaning the aquarium). In the other study, adolescents who owned different types of pets (dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, rodents, etc.) were included in the study. In this context, our study will be the first study conducted in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus using live and video turtle therapy at the national and international level. With the theoretical clarification of the methodological steps, this study, which has methodological characteristics, is unique in that it compares live animal (turtle) and video animal (turtle video) therapy in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, making it a pet therapy study conducted both nationally and internationally in both turtles and individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Within the scope of all this information, this study examined the effect of live and video turtle therapy on hemoglobin A1c and self-efficacy levels in adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Pet-Human Bonding

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

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

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Caregivers Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Live Turtle Group

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.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)

Intervention Type 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.

Video Turtle Group

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.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)

Intervention Type 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.

Control Group

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.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)

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.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)

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.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* 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%.

Exclusion Criteria

* 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.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Gümüşhane Universıty

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Karadeniz Technical University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Hatice Demirağ, Ph.D

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Gümüşhane University

Gümüşhane, , Turkey (Türkiye)

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Turkey (Türkiye)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

RCS04072024

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id