Greater reduction in HbA1c over time with text messaging intervention for low-income Hispanics
FRIDAY, June 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For low-income Hispanic patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, a text messaging intervention can improve glycemic control, according to a study published online June 9 in Diabetes Care.
Addie L. Fortmann, Ph.D., from the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute in San Diego, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial involving 126 low-income Hispanic participants with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomized to receive either the Dulce Digital intervention, which included receipt of up to three motivational, education, and/or call-to-action text messages per day over six months, or usual care.
The researchers found that, compared with usual care, there was a significantly greater reduction in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) over time in the Dulce Digital group (P = 0.03). There were no statistically significant effects for secondary clinical indicators. The number of blood glucose values that participants texted in was a significant predictor of HbA1c at month six (P < 0.05). High satisfaction and acceptability ratings were seen for the Dulce Digital intervention.
“Use of a simple, low-cost text-messaging program was found to be highly acceptable in this sample of high-risk, Hispanic individuals with type 2 diabetes and resulted in greater improvement in glycemic control compared with usual care,” the authors write.
The Investigator-Initiated Study Program of LifeScan provided glucose testing meters and strips for all participants.
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