A Mobile App for the Self-Management of Type 1 Diabetes Among Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth 2017-06, Vol.5 (6), p.e82-e82
• Main Authors: Goyal, Shivani, Nunn, Caitlin A, Rotondi, Michael, Couperthwaite, Amy B, Reiser, Sally, Simone, Angelo, Katzman, Debra K, Cafazzo, Joseph A, Palmert, Mark R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cellular telephones; Chronic illnesses; Clinical trials; Design; Diabetes; Feedback; Focus groups; Glucose; Insulin; Intervention; Multimedia; Original Paper; Personal health; Standard deviation; Teenagers; Trends
• ISSN: 2291-5222; 2291-5222
• DOI: 10.2196/mhealth.7336

While optimal blood glucose control is known to reduce the long-term complications associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus, adolescents often struggle to achieve their blood glucose targets. However, their strong propensity toward technology presents a unique opportunity for the delivery of novel self-management interventions. To support type 1 diabetes self-management in this population, we developed the diabetes self-management app bant, which included wireless blood glucose reading transfer, out-of-range blood glucose trend alerts, coaching around out-of-range trend causes and fixes, and a point-based incentive system. The primary objective was to evaluate bant 's effect on hemoglobin A (HbA ) through a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Secondary measures (eg, self-monitoring of blood glucose [SMBG]) were also collected to assess bant 's impact on the self-management behaviors of adolescents with type 1 diabetes. We enrolled 92 adolescents into a 12-month RCT, with 46 receiving usual care and 46 receiving usual care plus bant. Clinical outcome data were collected at quarterly research visits via validated tools, electronic chart review, glucometer downloads, and semistructured interviews. App satisfaction was assessed at 6 and 12 months, and at trial end, users ranked bant components based on perceived usefulness. Mobile analytics captured frequency of blood glucose uploads, which were used to categorize participants into high, moderate, low, or very low engagement levels. Linear mixed models showed no changes in primary and secondary clinical outcomes. However, exploratory regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant association between increased SMBG and improved HbA in the intervention group. For a subgroup of bant users taking SMBG ≥5 daily, there was a significant improvement in HbA of 0.58% (P=.02), while the parallel subgroup in the control arm experienced no significant change in HbA (decrease of 0.06%, P=.84). Although app usage did diminish over the trial, on average, 35% (16/46 participants) were classified as moderately or highly engaged (uploaded SMBG ≥3 days a week) over the 12 months. Although primary analysis of clinical outcomes did not demonstrate differences between the bant and control groups, exploratory analysis suggested that bant may positively impact the use of SMBG data and glycemic control among youth. The next generation of bant will aim to remove barriers to use, such as deploying the app directly to person