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The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of empowerment group education on type 2 diabetes patients' confidence in diabetes knowledge, self-efficacy, satisfaction with daily life, BMI and glycaemic control compared with the impact of routine diabetes care on the same factors at a 1-year follow-up. In this randomized controlled trial, conducted at 7 primary care centres in central Sweden, 101 patients were randomly assigned either to empowerment group education (intervention group) or to routine diabetes care (control group). Out of these, 42 patients in the intervention group and 46 in the control group completed the 1-year follow-up. Before the intervention and at the 1-year follow-up, the patients answered a 27-item questionnaire, and weight, BMI and HbA1c were measured. The questionnaire comprised three domains: confidence in diabetes knowledge, self-efficacy and satisfaction with daily life. At 1-year follow-up, the level of confidence in diabetes knowledge was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (p<0.05). No significant differences were found in self-efficacy, satisfaction with daily life, BMI and HbA1c between the intervention and control group. The empowerment group education did improve patients' confidence in diabetes knowledge with maintained glycaemic control despite the progressive nature of the disease.