Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Attaining HbA1c Targets in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Iraq: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objectives: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a persistent metabolic illness causing elevated glucose levels due to insulin resistance. Social media has been found to positively impact diabetes management by boosting motivation, adherence, emotional support, and sharing evidence-based information, thereby enhancing patients’ glycemic control efforts and achieving HbA1c targets. Primarily to examine the influence of social media within a random sample Iraqi population of T2DM patients on the control of diabetes, as measured by HbA1c levels. Methods: A multicentric cross-sectional study involves patients diagnosed with T2DM recruited between December 30, 2019 and November 8, 2023. Patients diagnosed with T2DM, who visited the outpatient clinic at least twice during the study period, were included. The sample size comprised 2921 patients. Various social media platforms available including, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Viber, were reported. Results: The study involves 2921 participants with a mean age of 53.3 years, 56% of them successfully reached their HbA1c target within a mean of 18.17 months. A significant correlation was found between achieving the target and using social media ( P = .0001), with a shorter average duration among social media users compared to non-users. A family history of diabetes also significantly correlated with achieving the desired outcome, suggesting a probable positive correlation ( P = .019). Conclusion: The study reveals a significant association between social media usage and glycemic control, introducing the importance of technology-based interventions in enhancing diabetes self-management, highlighting the relationships between social media engagement and HbA1c target achievement.