Health Impact of a Mobile-Delivered Diabetes Intervention to Control Blood Pressure in Older Adults

Abstract

Introduction: Patient education is an effective modality to reinforce self-care practices for chronic disease management. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to assess the health impact of a phone-delivered diabetes intervention and (2) to identify predictors of telehealth message use among adults aged 18–65 years with diabetes in a primary care setting using the Technology Acceptance Model theoretical framework. Methods: A pretest–posttest experimental study design was employed. Participants were randomized to receive 7 weeks of telehealth self-care messages or to the routine care group. Outcome measures included (1) telehealth use among patients who received weekly telehealth messages, (2) self-care behavior management derived from the Behavior Score Instrument, and (3) clinical outcomes measures. Results: The study team enrolled 150 patients, and of these, 138 (aged 18–65 years) completed the study. Participants aged 53±9.6 (mean±SD) years were mainly females (n=93; 76%), and the majority received government-sponsored health insurance (n=75; 54%). Age was a strong predictor of telehealth use (p<0.001). Among patients who received telehealth messages, systolic and diastolic blood pressure measures (140/78 mmHg vs 134/74 mmHg) were statistically significant at follow-up (p=0.001 and p=0.007, respectively). Conclusions: Digital support tools can play a valuable role in supporting lifestyle modification changes and reinforcing good diabetes self-care practices in older adults. Providing accessible tools and resources empowers adults to take an active role in their own health.

Keywords

• Self-care management
• diabetes
• telehealth
• surveillance
• Technology Acceptance Model