AN ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT IN A MOBILE APP FOR DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH DIABETES

摘要

A key research question of mhealth is to understand what levels of technology engagement are sufficient for behavioral change. This analysis explored the 3-group and 4-group patterns identified in the IMTOP mobile app usage data and found the 3-group pattern has a clear distinguishing quality in a difference-in-difference analysis of trial outcomes. Specifically, the findings revealed that both the “high” and the “high-low” engagement groups were associated with significantly better improvements in diabetes self-management than the “low” engagement group; and there is no statistically significant difference between “high” and “high-low” groups. When decomposing self-management into specific behaviors, both the “high” and “high-low” groups showed significantly better improvements in taking blood-glucose test than the “low” group. Only the “high” engagement group showed significantly better improvements in foot care, exercise, and diet management than the “low” group. The results suggest that even short-term engagement may sufficiently facilitate change in overall self-management behaviors.