| Summary: | Dietary management is of paramount importance in the prevention and control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This one-year cluster-randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of dietary management tools on the dietary skills of patients with T2DM. Twenty-two communities were randomly assigned to an intervention group and a control group, and participants in the intervention group received a food guiding booklet (<sub>G</sub>) and a dinner set (<sub>D</sub>). The frequency of dietary management tools usage was collected at baseline and every three months, and different use patterns were identified by a group-based trajectory model. A self-compiled diabetic dietary skills scale and blood glucose were collected at baseline, 3, and 12 months, and a using generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to explore the influence factors of dietary skills and blood glucose. The finding revealed four dietary tool-usage patterns among the participants: Insist using <sub>G/D</sub>, Give up gradually <sub>G/D</sub>, Give up after use <sub>G</sub>, and Never use <sub>G/D</sub>. GLMM indicated that dietary skills were higher over time (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and in participants using the guiding booklet (<i>p</i> < 0.001) or dinner set (<i>p</i> < 0.001), or with higher education (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Additionally, blood glucose were lower among participants with higher dietary skills (<i>p</i> = 0.003), higher educational level (<i>p</i> = 0.046), and a 3000–5000 monthly income (<i>p</i> = 0.026). These findings support using food management tools like the guiding booklet and dinner set as a useful strategy in primary health care centers for individuals with T2DM to increase their dietary skills and blood glucose control.
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