Background:
Self-care and management have been associated with the ability to monitor behaviors. For diabetic patients, it is important to manage physical activity and diet. It is not known if self-monitoring in a Thai population improves health outcomes.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of wearable technology on physical activity and relationships of self-care behaviors and quality of life.
Methods:
A randomized controlled group design was used. Thai persons aged 21 or older with diabetes from two diabetic clinics in Chiang Mai Thailand were recruited. They were randomly assigned into 3 groups: control group (no wearable devices), aware group (received wearable device with feedback) and unaware group (received wearable device with no feedback). During their first visit, participants were asked to complete questionnaires about self-care behavior and their quality of life (SF-12). Participants in the aware and unaware groups wore the device for 3 days. Data analysis was conducted using SAS software version 9.4.
Results:
One hundred and twenty five Thai participants with diabetes ages ranged from 39 to 75 years old were included in this analysis. The majority was female (n = 86, 69%) and married (n = 103, 82%). The number of steps taken for both aware and unaware group was positively associated with their physical functions (r = 0.225, p = 0.041) and their body pain (r = 0.300, p = 0.0059). No significant differences of self-care behaviors were found among the three groups. The number of steps in both groups was not significantly different.
Conclusion:
The wearable assessment device was feasible and results of steps taken was associated with better physical function and pain, but not determined by awareness of their steps taken. While the device had no significant impact on exercise more information is needed on the usefulness of this information and its relationship to pain and how it can be utilized to enhance physical activity.
