JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Type 2 diabetes is an increasing public health burden. Weight loss-induced remission has been established as a feasible treatment target, with calorie restriction shown to be an effective method for achieving remission. However, scalable approaches are required to support implementation in clinical practice. E-health interventions may provide an efficient means of delivering remission-focused care to larger patient populations.

Objective:

To describe the experience of participating in a digital weight loss program aimed at remission of type 2 diabetes.

Methods:

Study participants followed a low-calorie diet with total food replacement for three months, followed by a weight maintenance phase. The treatment program was delivered via a digital application and video meetings. Body weight and fasting blood glucose were registered daily in the digital program and written feedback was provided by medical staff every week. Ten individuals who had taken part in the study for at least 12 months were interviewed. They were between 55 and 70 years of age, had a BMI between 28 and 35 and had diabetes for less than seven years. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Results:

The findings were captured in the overarching theme A welcomed and promising initiative to support weight loss, but everything wasn’t a bed of roses. Four categories contributed to this theme: (1) the need to get help was important prerequisite for participation; (2) freedom and flexibility with e-health, still meetings play an important role; (3) unfamiliar but crucial to log data daily for success; and (4) the program clarified personal responsibility but also offered support during the study period.

Conclusions:

Digital health services for weight maintenance are accessible and can reach a broad population. However, individual needs must be considered, as some participants require physical meetings in addition to e-health to reduce isolation and receive support.