Diabetes Apps Increase User Engagement But Should Be Doing Opposite

Diabetes Apps Increase User Engagement But Should Be Doing Opposite
October 30, 2017282Likes36 Comments
People with diabetes increasingly turn to smartphone apps to help them manage their condition, and people like my son, a young adult who has lived with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for fifteen years, now have more than 100 to choose from on iOS or Android devices.
Researchers from the University of Florida recently took a look at these apps, and found it difficult to tell whether or not they were actually useful, though they gave many of these apps high marks for aesthetics and engagement.
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has spent these last 15 years living with diabetes in our home and working with thousands of people living with this challenging chronic disease, the vast majority of these diabetes apps do not work for most people with diabetes and are ultimately not useful, and heres why: managing a chronic disease is exhausting, and tools to support people should be about giving people their time back, not asking them to devote more of it by engaging with your product.
There are better ways to use technology to manage chronic conditions.
People living with diabetesincluding my son and many colleagues of mine -- spend an inordinate amount of time every day taking blood sugar readings, entering numbers on an insulin pump, recording their meals, reordering supplies and prescriptions, exercising, and keeping a daily log of their activities, illness, stress, and moods, and carbohydrate intake.
Going to bed at night does not offer relief from the routine. Peop Continue reading

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Exercise guidelines for gestational diabetes mellitus

Exercise guidelines for gestational diabetes mellitus
Cliantha Padayachee, Jeff S Coombes, Physical Activity and Health, the School of Human Movement Studies and the Centre for Research on Exercise, the University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
Author contributions: Padayachee C and Coombes JS equally contributed to this paper.
Correspondence to: Jeff S Coombes, PhD, Physical Activity and Health, the School of Human Movement Studies and the Centre for Research on Exercise, the University of Queensland, Blair Drive, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia. [email protected]
Telephone: +61-7-33656767 Fax: +61-7-33656877
Received 2014 Aug 28; Revised 2015 Jan 19; Accepted 2015 Apr 27.
Copyright The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing worldwide. This disease has many detrimental consequences for the woman, the unborn foetus and child. The management of GDM aims to mediate the effects of hyperglycaemia by controlling blood glucose levels. Along with pharmacology and dietary interventions, exercise has a powerful potential to assist with blood glucose control. Due to the uncertainty of risks and benefits of exercise during pregnancy, women tend to avoid exercise. However, under adequate supervision exercise is both safe and beneficial in the treatment of GDM. Therefore it is vital that exercise is incorporated into the continuum of care for women with GDM. Medical doctors should be able to refer t Continue reading

50 Registered Dietitians Share Diabetes Diet & Lifestyle Tips

A1: One of the best ways I recommend to clients to keep their energy up while managing their diabetes is to included 3 to 4 food groups with each meal or snack. For instance, if they are planning a mid morning snack, we discuss the need to include a healthy fat and protein for satiety as well as complex carbs for energy and fruits or vegetables for fiber! I usually recommend a plain Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of powdered peanut butter with celery sticks and a handful of high fiber cereal. This combination also provides a variety of textures that increases their satisfaction with their snack choice as well.
A2: I would encourage the diabetic to work closely with their treatment team, specifically their dietitian, to figure out unique combinations of foods they enjoy to include in their diet. For instance, if my client is stuck on grilled chicken, broccoli and a side salad, I would show them how we can use those foods in combination with another food, such as a whole grain tortilla, to create a new combination that is still made from their base comfort foods.
A3: A plant based diet can definitely work as part of a diabetic friendly meal plan. However, you need to work with a professional to help ensure you are meeting your protein needs as well as vitamin B12. I also encourage my clients interested in plant based eating to focus on incorporating nutrient dense foods, such as nuts, that help provide protein, fats and are a low source of carbohydrates. This makes a great accompaniment to dinner, such as a walnut pesto with garbanzo beans and zucchini noodles!
I recomme Continue reading

Fight Off Heart Disease With These Five Heart-Healthy Foods

Fight Off Heart Disease With These Five Heart-Healthy Foods
The statistics seem grim: People who have diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than people who dont have diabetes. Its tough to read this, but take heart. In honor of February being Heart Health Month, know that theres a lot that you can do to keep your ticker ticking.
Being told to follow a heart-healthy diet may conjure up images of dry, tasteless meals and giving up your favorite foods. The good news is that there are plenty of healthy foods that taste good and help your heart at the same time. You might even be surprised at the foods that made the list.
What? You mean steak is OK to eat? As long as you go for lean cuts, such as top sirloin, tenderloin or 95 percent lean ground beef, red meat can definitely be heart healthy, and may even help you lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol . You might also be surprised to learn that lean beef has more monounsaturated fat, a healthy type of fat, than saturated fat. The key is making beef part of an overall heart healthy diet, and keeping portions reasonable (aim for no more than about 4 ounces per day).
Stretch lean been further by slicing it into thin strips and stir-frying it with veggies of your choice snow peas, broccoli and red pepper are great choices. Serve as is or over a whole grain of your choice. Four ounces of tenderloin contains 160 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat.
Coffee-lovers can rejoice: A 2015 study out of Harvard University found that people who drank 35 cups of coffee every day were less likely to die from he Continue reading

Livongo and Lilly Collaborate on Real-World Diabetes Research

Livongo and Lilly Collaborate on Real-World Diabetes Research
Companies join forces to advance predictive and prescriptive recommendations for people with diabetes
Jan 08, 2018, 09:00 ET from Eli Lilly and Company from , Livongo
Eli Lilly and Company logo. (PRNewsFoto, Eli Lilly and Company) (PRNewsfoto/Eli Lilly and Company)
Eli Lilly and Company logo. (PRNewsFoto, Eli Lilly and Company) (PRNewsfoto/Eli Lilly and Company)
INDIANAPOLIS and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY ) and Livongo Health, a leading consumer digital health company focused on empowering all people with chronic conditions to live better and healthier lives, today announced a strategic collaboration to study real-world evidence and develop new insights to reduce the burden on people living with diabetes.
The research collaboration will combine real-world behavioral studies and claims data to advance knowledge about effective interventions in diabetes care. The companies aim to contribute to medical literature in three areas:
Measure the impact of remote diabetes self-management education and support on clinical and healthcare cost outcomes
Understand how people living with diabetes can stay more actively involved in their health
Lilly has been a leader in diabetes care for more than 90 years, and was the first company to make insulin commercially available to people with the disease. Today, Lilly provides a wide range of therapies to address the diverse needs of people living with diabetes.
"Collaborating with Continue reading