Acceptability of an mHealth App Intervention for Persons With Type 2 Diabetes and its Associations With Initial...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Diabetes Management
• Health Technology Acceptability

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) interventions are increasingly integrated into healthcare delivery.
• Patient acceptability is a critical factor determining the successful adoption and utilization of digital health solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between the initial self-management capabilities of type 2 diabetes patients and their acceptance of a mobile diabetes application.
• To identify specific self-management domains associated with the acceptability of a mobile diabetes diary app.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving patients with type 2 diabetes recruited from primary care settings.
• Participants received a mobile phone with a diabetes diary app; some also received additional telephone-based counseling.
• Acceptability was assessed using The Service User Technology Acceptability Questionnaire at 1-year follow-up; self-management was measured at baseline using The Health Education Impact Questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Initial associations were found between 5 self-management domains and the perceived benefit of the app.
• After adjusting for covariates, only 'skill and technique acquisition' remained significantly associated with perceived benefit.
• Frequency of app usage demonstrated the strongest correlation with the 'perceived benefit' aspect of acceptability.

Conclusions:

• Patients with type 2 diabetes may find the mobile app acceptable, even when its perceived benefits are linked to a limited number of self-management domains.
• The findings suggest that while initial self-management skills play a role, the frequency of app use is a key determinant of user acceptance.