Evaluating the Impact of Mobile Phone Technology on Health Outcomes for Latinos with Type 2 Diabetes

Objectives To assess whether a Spanish-language text messaging program helps Latinos with diabetes better manage their disease. Methods Spanish-speaking Latinos with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c >= 8% (N = 38) were recruited January 1, 2016-May 31, 2016, at a large integrated healthcare delivery system. Participants received 1-3 Spanish-language text messages about diabetes self-care per day for 3 months with an optional 3-month extension. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data was used to compare pre-post intervention HbA1c. The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney nonparametric test was used to compare changes in HbA1c across groups. Results After 3 months, the median HbA1c reduction overall was 1.4 percentage points (IQR: 0.5-3.3,p < 0.01). Latinos having pre-intervention HbA1c > 10.0% had a greater reduction in median HbA1c (3.8, IQR: 0.5-5.3) compared with those having pre-intervention HbA1c <= 10.0% (0.9, IQR: 0.1-1.9,p < 0.05). This reduction in median HbA1c persisted after 6 months (1.3, IQR: 0.2-2.9,p < 0.01). Conclusion A Spanish-language text messaging program was an effective way to improve glycemic control for Latinos with type 2 diabetes. Policy Implications Culturally and linguistically tailored text messaging programs for managing diabetes should be considered.