Background: Blood glucose (BG) meter apps facilitate the recording and review of BG data with the goal of improving diabetes self-management. Yet, while these apps require user engagement to be effective, there have been few studies exploring how people with diabetes use their apps over time. In the REALL study, we followed a group of new BG meter app users to determine how long they used their app, and how frequently they used their app to record a BG reading.
Methods: From March-July 2020, adults with diabetes who had recently paired their CONTOUR®NEXT ONE (CNO) meter with the CONTOUR®DIABETES app were enrolled in the study. All participants completed 2-3 online surveys, recorded ≥1 BG reading in their app, and shared their app data for ≥16 weeks. For each participant, ‘period of app use’ was defined as the time between one’s pair date and the date of their final recorded BG reading. Within one’s period of use, ‘frequency of BG recordings’ was defined as the percent of days with ≥1 BG reading.
Results: Participants (n=488) were 51.4 ± 11.9 years old, 52% were male, and 95% had type 2 diabetes. Based on their period of use, 78% of participants were classified as long-term app users (>4 weeks), 11% as medium-term users (>1 week, ≤4 weeks), and 11% as short-term users (≤1 week). Long-term app users were further characterized by their frequency of BG recordings, with 57% classified as high frequency users (BG on ≥70% of days), 23% as medium frequency users (BG on 40-69.9% of days), and 21% as low frequency users (BG on <40% of days). Most participants expressed high satisfaction (9 or 10 rating on 10-point scale) with the CNO meter (83%) and app (68%).
Conclusions: Over the course of four months, participants demonstrated sustained and consistent use of the CONTOUR®DIABETES app to record BG readings. These findings provide evidence of high levels of app engagement in a real-world setting, and further testify to the potential for BG meter apps to support diabetes self-management.
R. Wood: Research Support; Self; Abbott Diabetes, American Diabetes Association, Ascensia Diabetes Care, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Dexcom, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi. C. Florissi: Other Relationship; Self; Abbott Diabetes, Ascensia Diabetes Care, Dexcom, Inc., Insulet Corporation, LifeScan, Lilly Diabetes, Medtronic, Roche Diabetes Care, Senseonics, Tandem Diabetes Care. M. Younge: None. K. C. Stoner: Other Relationship; Self; Several companies in the diabetes field. L. Fisher: Consultant; Self; Ascensia Diabetes Care, Lilly Diabetes, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Dexcom, Inc. J. Knaebel: Employee; Self; Ascensia Diabetes Care. C. T. Lu: Employee; Self; Ascensia Diabetes Care, Employee; Spouse/Partner; Engineering Resource Group. A. Stuhr: Employee; Self; Ascensia Diabetes Care.