Type 2 Diabetes MellitusNCT07298837
Turtle Therapy on HbA1c and Self-Efficacy Levels With Type 2 Diabetes
A study testing Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy) and Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy) in people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Pet-Human Bonding, run by Karadeniz Technical University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial 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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Pet-Human Bonding
- What is being tested?
- Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy) and Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 51 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 18 Jul 2024to 1 Nov 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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),
Show all 9Show fewer
- 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%.
Who cannot join
- 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.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: The Effect of Turtle Therapy on HbA1c and Self-Efficacy Levels in Diabetes Medication Use in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Study
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.
Read the detailed description
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
- Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Pet-Human Bonding
- Being tested
- Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy), Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)
- Keywords
- Hemoglobin A1c Test, Pet Therapy, Self-efficacy, Turtle Therapy, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
- Medical subject headings
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Human-Animal Bond
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)Behavioural
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 Therapy (Pet therapy)Behavioural
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Receives: 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. Receives: 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. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
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.
Measured: 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.
Measured: 12 week
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Dec 2025
- Study start18 Jul 2024
- Primary completion1 Aug 2024
- Study completion1 Nov 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Type 2 Diabetes MellitusStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Care provider, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 51 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Karadeniz Technical University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Gümüşhane Universıty
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Hatice Demirağ, Ph.D, Karadeniz Technical University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07298837
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- RCS04072024
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 9 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 23 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: I'll decide later
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of Turtle Therapy on HbA1c and Self-Efficacy Levels in Diabetes Medication Use in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07298837
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- RCS04072024
- Conditions
- Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Pet-Human Bonding
- Keywords
- Hemoglobin A1c Test, Pet Therapy, Self-efficacy, Turtle Therapy, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 51 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Karadeniz Technical UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Gümüşhane Universıty
- Study start
- 18 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Nov 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Dec 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (care provider, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Live Turtle Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)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. |
| Video Turtle Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy)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. |
| 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. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (9 listed)
- 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,
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 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.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Behavioural | Live Turtle Group |
| 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. | Behavioural | Video Turtle Group |
Primary outcome
Hemoglobin A1c
Time frame: 12 week
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.
Diabetes Medication Self-Efficacy Scale
Time frame: 12 week
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.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Dec 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. I'll decide later
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Live Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy) and Video Turtle Therapy (Pet therapy) in people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Pet-Human Bonding, run by Karadeniz Technical University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 9 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Hemoglobin A1c (time frame: 12 week). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Dec 2025.