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Experience of Using Wearable Devices for Dietary Management for Chinese Americans with Type 2 Diabetes
ABSTRACT
Background:
Chinese Americans face significant challenges in dietary management, which is crucial for glycemic control. Wearable sensors, such as the eButton and continuous glucose monitor (CGM), is a promising solution.
Objective:
We aimed to explore the experience of using the eButton and CGM for dietary management among Chinese Americans.
Methods:
Chinese Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2D) (N=11) participated in a one-group prospective study. They wore an eButton on their chest to record their 10-day meals over two weeks and a CGM for the two weeks, and kept a diary to track food intake, medication, and physical activity. Individual interviews were conducted after two weeks to discuss their experience. We used ATLAS.ti software to thematically analyze the interviews.
Results:
Facilitators of using eButton included the device’s ease of use, ability to make participants more mindful, and influence on increased sense of control. Being more conscious of food intake enabled participants to eat smaller portions. Barriers included privacy concerns, difficulty positioning the camera for pictures, and the need for a record of pictures to track trends in glucose spikes. Facilitators of using CGM included its comfort and ease of use, its ability to increase mindfulness of meal choices, and motivating changes in eating behaviors. The most common barriers included the sensor falling off, getting trapped in clothes, and causing skin sensitivity.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that it is feasible for Chinese Americans with T2D to use eButton and CGM for dietary management. Future studies should apply these devices to a larger sample over a longer duration to better inform effective diabetes management strategies. Clinical Trial: NCT05335889
Citation
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