Many of us struggle to consistently engage in healthy habits that optimize our health. For people with a chronic illness like diabetes, the challenge is even greater. As digital health tools become increasingly integrated into chronic disease management, it is critical to understand how patients use and benefit from these technologies.
What were the researchers studying and why?
For adults with diabetes, daily self-management is essential to reducing such complications as nerve damage, kidney failure, and stroke. Key self-management behaviors include taking medications as prescribed, eating a healthy diet, monitoring blood glucose and blood pressure, and getting adequate sleep. However, navigating these routine behaviors can be challenging, and long-term maintenance frequently is a struggle. Clinical trials that show short-term success often see a decline in effectiveness once interventions end, and long-term behavior maintenance rarely is evaluated. Tools like continuous glucose monitors, mobile apps, and activity trackers offer promise for managing diabetes, but their impact on and use in managing health behaviors are not fully understood. This study aimed to explore how adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes use mobile apps and wearable devices to support their daily health management behaviors.
