BACKGROUND: Adolescence was associated with suboptimal diabetes control. Studies supporting the use of mobile technology to improve glycemic control and adherence to treatment had mixed results.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of SMS reminders on improving glycemic control in adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM).

METHODOLOGY: A randomized control study among adolescents with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus was done. Data were processed from 56 out of 64 subjects who were randomized into control (N=29) who received standard of care and SMS group (N=27), who received standard of care and a daily SMS reminder regarding diabetes self-care for 12 weeks. An adherence form was answered by all participants and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) before and after intervention was compared.

RESULTS: HbA1c did not significantly differ between SMS and control groups after 12 weeks of intervention (SMS 9.98+2.12 vs control 10.54+2.13, p value of 0.305). Post intervention, there was no significant difference between SMS and control group in terms of adherence to insulin injection (no p value), blood glucose (BG) monitoring (p value 0.106), and diabetic diet (p value 0.803). However, adherence on exercise was significantly higher among control group than SMS group (p value 0.003).

CONCLUSION: A 12-week SMS intervention reminder in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus did not significantly improve glycemic control and adherence to standard of care (insulin injection, blood glucose monitoring, diet and exercise).

RECOMMENDATION: Future researches could include a bigger study population and longer duration of intervention. Other forms of mobile technology could also be used as a form of reminder.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Child: 6-12 Yrs Old ; Adolescent: 13-18 Yrs Old ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Text Messaging ; Glycated Hemoglobin ; Therapeutics ; Technology ; Standard Of Care ; Self Care

Introduction: Digital device helps children enhance academic, cognitive and psychomotor skills. However, prolonged use causes physical inactivity, poor interpersonal skills and communication problems. Information on digital device use among young children in Malaysia is currently limited. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of digital device utilisation among preschool children in Kota Setar District, Kedah. Methods: A cross-sectional study at government preschools in Kota Setar District was conducted from February to April 2020. Selection of preschools and students was done using multistage simple randomisation. A self-administered questionnaire containing demographic and digital device use details was filled by parents. Results: The prevalence of digital device use among preschool children was 95.9% and mostly used smartphones (94.2%). Most children (95%) did not own the device, and usage was under supervision (95.7%). The reason for supervision was to prevent exposure to inappropriate content (70.5%). The common reasons for allowing digital device use were for educational (37.4%) and entertainment purposes (36%) through videos (30.9%) and games (30.2%). Approximately 21.5% and 50.3% of the children spent more than 1 and 2 hours on digital devices during weekdays and weekends, respectively. Conclusion The prevalence of digital device use among the preschool children in Kota Setar District was very high. Most of them used digital devices for educational and entertainment purposes under parental supervision. However, some exceeded the recommended screen time on weekends. These findings could promote awareness of digital device use among young children and help design public health awareness programmes and future policies.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Prevalence ; Smartphone ; Screen time

Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/genetics* ; Female ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Text Messaging

BACKGROUND: To combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many countries have used contact tracing apps, including Japan's voluntary-use contact-confirming application (COCOA). The current study aimed to identify industry and workplace characteristics associated with the downloading of this COVID-19 contact tracing app. METHODS: This cross-sectional study of full-time workers used an online survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of industry and workplace characteristics with contact tracing app use. RESULTS: Of the 27,036 participants, 25.1% had downloaded the COCOA. Workers in the public service (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.45) and information technology (aOR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.20-1.58) industries were more likely to use the app than were those in the manufacturing industry. In contrast, app usage was less common among workers in the retail and wholesale (aOR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.76-0.99) and food/beverage (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.70-0.94) industries, but further adjustment for company size attenuated these associations. Workers at larger companies were more likely to use the app. Compared with permanent employees, the odds of using the app were higher for managers and civil servants but lower for those who were self-employed. CONCLUSIONS Downloading of COCOA among Japanese workers was insufficient; thus, the mitigating effect of COCOA on the COVID-19 pandemic is considered to be limited. One possible reason for the under-implementation of the contact tracing app in the retail and wholesale and food/beverage industries is small company size, as suggested by the fully adjusted model results. An awareness campaign should be conducted to promote the widespread use of the contact tracing app in these industries.
Adult ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Contact Tracing/methods* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Industry/classification* ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mobile Applications/statistics & numerical data* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smartphone ; Workplace/statistics & numerical data*

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a smartphone overdependence prevention program for college students based on the self-determination theory (SDT) and evaluate its effectiveness.METHODS: A non-equivalent control group repeated measures design was used for the study. Participants were 64 university freshmen (experimental group: 29, control group: 35). The developed program consists of eight sessions conducted twice a week. The program was designed to promote autonomy, competence, and relatedness the three elements of the basic psychological needs of self-determination theory. The participants were assessed before the program, immediately after, and 1 and 3 months after the program. Data were collected from April 23 to September 14, 2018 and analyzed by performing a Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS/WIN 23.0.RESULTS: This study showed improvement in the basic psychological needs (F=3.90, p =.010) in the experimental group compared to the control group. Specifically, competence (F=2.93, p =.035), relatedness (F=2.89, p =.045), and self-regulatory ability (F=3.11, p =.028) improved significantly.CONCLUSION: Study findings indicate thatthe smartphone overdependence prevention program based on the Self-determination theory could be an effective intervention for improving basic psychological needs and self-regulation ability. Therefore, this program could be an efficient strategy for smartphone overdependence prevention in university students.
Humans ; Mental Competency ; Personal Autonomy ; Self-Control ; Smartphone

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of a smartphone application-based exercise program on self-efficacy expectations (SEE) and outcome expectations regarding exercise (OEE), physical fitness, activity level, physiological indices, and health-related quality of life in a sample of hemodialysis patients.METHODS: A quasi-experimental control group pre-test post-test design was used. Subjects were recruited from two university hospitals in G city. The subjects were assigned randomly by coin toss: 33 participants to the experimental group and 30 to the control group. A literature review and the self-efficacy theory were used to develop the smartphone program. Experts designed and verified the program to be userfriendly and in consideration of user interaction. Data were collected through a self-report pre-test post-test questionnaire and online medical records.RESULTS: In the experimental group, the levels of physical fitness and physical activity were significantly improved post-test, but the scores on health-related quality of life and the physical indices did not improve. In the experimental group, the SEE and OEE post-test scores were also significantly higher than the pre-test scores, but the control group's scores did not change.CONCLUSION: The smartphone application-based exercise program based on self-efficacy theory significantly improved the level of physical fitness and activity, SEE, and OEE for hemodialysis patients. The use of this application-based exercise program for hemodialysis patients might be an effective nursing intervention tool for improving SEE, OEE, level of physical fitness, and physical activity.
Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Motor Activity ; Numismatics ; Nursing ; Physical Fitness ; Quality of Life ; Renal Dialysis ; Self Efficacy ; Smartphone

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to examine the effects of mobile health (mHealth), using mobile phones as an intervention for weight loss in obese adults. METHODS: An electronic search was carried out using multiple databases. A meta-analysis of selected studies was performed. The effects of mHealth were analyzed using changes in body weight and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: We identified 20 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 2,318 participants who fit our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that body weight was reduced with a weighted mean difference (WMD) of −2.35 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], −2.84 to −1.87). An examination of the impact of duration of intervention showed that weight loss was greater after 6 months of mHealth (WMD = −2.66 kg) than between three and four months (WMD = −2.25 kg); it was maintained for up to 9 months (WMD = −2.62 kg). At 12 months, weight loss was reduced to a WMD of −1.23 kg. BMI decreased with a WMD of −0.77 kg/m2 (95% CI, −1.01 to −0.52). BMI changes were not statistically significant at 3 months (WMD = −1.10 kg/m2), but they were statistically significant at 6 months (WMD = −0.67 kg/m2). CONCLUSIONS: The use of mHealth for obese adults showed a modest short-term effect on body weight and BMI. Although the weight loss associated with mHealth did not meet the recommendation of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network, which considers a reduction of approximately 5 to 10 kg of the initial body weight as a successful intervention. Well-designed RCTs are needed to reveal the effects of mHealth interventions.
Adult* ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Cell Phones ; Humans ; Mobile Applications ; Obesity ; Telemedicine* ; Weight Loss

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of body dissatisfaction on Smartphone addiction and to determine the relative magnitudes of specific mediation effect of personality characteristics.METHODS: One hundred and fifteen young and healthy participants completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale, Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination-Self Report, and NEO Five-Factor Inventory. By using Indirect SPSS macros, multiple-mediation analyses were performed.RESULTS: Body dissatisfaction had a significant total, direct and indirect effect on Smartphone addiction. Indirect effect of Body dissatisfaction on Smartphone addiction was significantly mediated via personality characteristics (Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Openness).CONCLUSION: These results suggest the importance of evaluating both patients' personality characteristics and body dissatisfaction for managing Smartphone addiction. Consequently, they will be useful in the prevention and treatment of Smartphone addiction.
Body Dysmorphic Disorders ; Healthy Volunteers ; Negotiating ; Smartphone

BACKGROUND: Smoking is one of the most serious health problems worldwide. The aim of this systematic review was to demonstrate the effect of text messaging-based interventions on smoking cessation.METHODS: Electronic databases were searched using specific key terms. The inclusion criteria were (1) articles that employed a randomized controlled trial and (2) articles that examined the effect of text messaging interventions on smoking cessation. However, studies employing multimedia messaging service and smartphone apps were excluded.RESULTS: In total, six randomized controlled trial studies with seven interventions were included in this systematic review. Of these six studies, almost all concluded that text-messaging interventions had no significant effect on smoking cessation. However, one study conducted in England revealed that text messaging intervention groups had a higher rate of six-month prolonged abstinence from smoking than did the control group.CONCLUSION: Text messaging interventions could be effective for those who want to quit smoking. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of using text messaging interventions for smoking cessation. However, there were only six studies that employed randomized controlled trials to determine such effectiveness. More studies on the effect of text messaging interventions for smoking cessation using subjects from various age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds are needed in the future.
England ; Humans ; Multimedia ; Smartphone ; Smoke ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking ; Text Messaging

PURPOSE: Adverse health effects of smoking could be made worse by worker's tobacco use, and combining tobacco use with occupational hazards could enhance the likelihood of occupational disease and injury. This study was aimed to develop a workplace smoking cessation program based on self-determination theory (SDT) and then to examine the effectiveness of the program. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent control group pretesteposttest design was used. An intervention group (n = 30) received a smoking cessation program using individual counseling and tailored text messaging based on SDT during 12 weeks. Participants in the control group (n = 30) received a smoking cessation leaflet and telephonic follow-up for 3 times. RESULTS: At 6 and 12 weeks, there were significant differences between the two groups on autonomous regulation, perceived competence, nicotine dependence, tobacco abstinence rate, and exhaled carbon monoxide concentration. At 12 weeks, the abstinence rate in the intervention group was 96.7%, whereas that in the control group was 12.9%. CONCLUSION: SDT-based workplace smoking cessation program using individual counseling and tailored text messaging is effective in encouraging autonomous regulation and competence for workers.
Carbon Monoxide ; Counseling ; Follow-Up Studies ; Mental Competency ; Occupational Diseases ; Pilot Projects ; Smoke ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking ; Text Messaging ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Use ; Tobacco Use Disorder