Endocrine Abstracts

Background: People with chronic metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) encounter challenges with self-management regimens to improve their glycemic control, weight and as well as to reduce complications associated with diabetes. Optimal management of T2D requires regular monitoring by physician, access to multidisciplinary care and achieving target HbA1c without hypoglycemia. Digital therapeutics (DTx) provide highly accessible, cost-effective, evidence-based solutions for better management of T2D using high-quality software. This study explores the real-world effectiveness of the Diabefly® DTx program in improving glycemic control among people with T2D.

Methodology: The 90 days Diabefly® program offers mobile application enabled real-time digital logging of daily meals, physical activity, and provides access to remote lifestyle coaching from health coaches and experts (psychologist, physiotherapist, and nutritionist). The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in HbA1c, weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference at the beginning and at the end of the program. All the outcomes were evaluated using paired t-test with P< 0.05 considered as significant.

Results: De-identified data of 205 participants (Mean age: 47.14 ± 12.67 years, Gender: 55.60% female) was analyzed. After the completion of the Diabefly® program, a significant mean reduction in HbA1c by 1.55 ± 1.88% (P< 0.001) from the baseline of 8.59 ± 2.01 % was observed. HbA1c levels were reduced in 87.80 % (180/205) participants while reduction of >1% in HbA1c levels was observed in 56.11 % (101/180) participants. A significant mean reduction in body weight and BMI by 2.39 ± 3.25 kg and 0.82 ± 1.14 kg/m²from the baseline of 75.33 ± 15.43 kg and 27.41 ± 4.68 kg/m²was observed respectively (P< 0.001 for both). Reduction in body weight was observed in 68.29 % (140/205) participants and a reduction of >5 kg body weight was observed among 20.71 % (29/140) participants. Furthermore, complete data on waist circumference was available for 109 participants which showed a significant mean reduction by 3.49 ± 8.24 cm from the baseline of 98.80 ± 14.08 cm (P< 0.001).

Conclusion: At the end of the program, a significant improvement in glycemic control and reduction in weight and BMI was observed. Thus, the study showed that usage of the Diabefly^®program along with standard medical care by a physician can be effective in better management of T2D by providing multidisciplinary care and continuous support to people with diabetes.