Effectiveness of mobile and internet intervention in patients with obese type 2 diabetes

Abstract 

Purpose

The present study evaluated whether an intervention using the SMS by personal cellular phone and internet would improve the levels of plasma glucose of obese type 2 diabetes at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Methods

This is a quasi-experimental design with pre- and follow-up tests. Participants were recruited from the endocrinology outpatient department of tertiary care hospital located in an urban city of South Korea. Eighteen patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group and 16 to a control group. The goal of the intervention was to decrease body weight and keep blood glucose concentrations close to the normal range. Patients were requested to record their blood glucose level in a weekly diary on the website by personal cellular phones or computer internet. The researcher sent optimal recommendations to each patient, by both the cellular phone and the Internet weekly. The intervention was applied for 1 year.

Results

Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA₁c) decreased 1.22 percentage points at 3 months, 1.09 percentage points at 6 months, 1.47 percentage points at 9 months, and 1.49 percentage points at 12 months compared with baseline in the intervention group (all time points, p<0.05). The percentage change in the control group was, however, not significant. Patients in the intervention group had a decrease of 2-h post-prandial test (2HPPT) of 120.1mg/dl at 3 months, 58.9mg/dl at 6 months, 62.0mg/dl at 9 months, and 102.9mg/dl at 12 months compared with baseline (all time points, p<0.05). The mean change in the control group was, however, not significant.

Conclusion

This web-based intervention using SMS of personal cellular phone and Internet improved HbA₁c and 2HPPT at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months in patients with obese type 2 diabetes.

Keywords: Mobile, Internet, Intervention, Diabetes mellitus