A Comparative Study of Quantitative Smartphone Usages among Controlled and Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus...

Smartphones has significantly changed the lifestyle of people and considered as basic need for day to day work. But its usages beyond certain limits adversely affects physical and mental health. Aim of this study is to analyzes the quantitative usages of smartphone among controlled and uncontrolled type 2 diabetes patients. Objective is to correlate the pattern and duration of smartphone usages with the level of glycemic control.

"RealizD" is a mobile application that observes the pattern of mobile phone usages like 'screen time' (total duration of time spends watching mobile screen for any purpose) and number of times phone picked in a day. It graphically displays the hourly usages and longest duration of phone use in a single stretch. Subjects were patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) divided into 50 "case" with poor glycemic control and 50 "control" with good glycemic control. This application was installed in their smartphones to collect all above data. Subjects were observed for period of 3 months. Demographic data, blood glucose levels and HbA1c was recorded at first and again at second visit 3 months after. Data from application was recorded at second visit as described above.

The average screen time of cases was 160 ± 50.9 minutes per day whereas of controls was 107 ± 22.5 minutes. This difference in the screen time was statistically significant. Higher the screen time more was the HbA1c. The average of number of times a case picked his/her phone in a day was 70.2 ± 20.1 whereas by the controls was 57.3 ± 22.2. The difference was statistically significant. Also, Cases spend 37.3 % versus controls who spend 19.9 % of total screen time between 5 AM to 9 AM. The difference was statistically significant. This indicates that uncontrolled T2DM patients spend more time on phone in morning hours.

Smartphones could be best companion if used judiciously. Their unrestricted use adversely affects the health. Among diabetes patient unregulated smartphone usages leads to poor glycemic control and thus could be considered an important factor that need to be addressed.