Text Messages Help People Manage Diabetes Type-2

Tips and reminders via text messages help diabetes type-2 patients control blood glucose levels, a new study has found.

Texts like "Don't forget! Check blood sugar before and after physical activity" and "Tick, tock! Take your medication at the same time every day" help diabetes type-2 patients manage their condition. The study was conducted by researchers at the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute.

Healthcare professionals have realized that mobile phones are a good way of reminding patients about healthy habits. Recently, Dr. Linda Park - a post-doctoral fellow at the San Francisco VA Medical Center - had shown that heart patients were more likely to take medications if they received reminders via text messages.

The present study shows that a text-messaging system can help Latino patients with diabetes control their sugar level.

"The use of mobile phones in health care is very promising, especially when it comes to low-income populations with chronic diseases," said Athena Philis-Tsimikas, M.D., corporate vice president for the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute. "We found that by using text messages we were able to circumvent many of the barriers these patients face, such as lack of transportation or childcare, while still being able to expand the reach of diabetes care and education."

In the study, 126 participants were divided into two groups: one set of people got standard care for diabetes while the other got standard care plus text messaging.

Standard care included regular visits with the doctor, information about diabetes, nutrition and lifestyle management. The text messages included tips for healthy eating, exercise and glucose management.

"At the six-month mark, we found that the Dulce Digital participants had a significantly larger decrease in hemoglobin A1C test levels than the control group," said Dr. Tsimikas, according to a news release

 The A1C test is a blood test that shows the level of blood glucose over the past three months.

The study was supported by The McKesson Foundation. Research findings were presented at the 74th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in San Francisco.