Publication Date

2020

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Patterson, Julie Ann

Degree Name

M.S. (Master of Science)

Legacy Department

School of Health Studies

Abstract

Background: Individuals of low socioeconomic status (SES) are disproportionately at risk for developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) compared to their higher SES counterparts. Smartphone apps are increasingly used as a tool to compliment current diabetes education and have the ability to increase prevention and diabetes education in health disparate communities. The objective of this study was to identify the quality of nutrition and health related apps frequently recommended by diabetes educators to compliment current T2DM education programs for patient of low SES.

Methods: Clinicians (n=120) were recruited through two diabetes and dietetic professional groups to complete an online App Identification Survey. This survey contained demographic and app related questions to identify apps used in practice and the frequency of use. The same clinicians who completed the App Identification Survey were recruited to complete the App Quality Evaluation (AQEL) survey (n=13). The clinicians completing the AQEL survey evaluated the apps on 7 domains (behavior change potential, knowledge, skill building, function, app purpose, appropriateness for adults, and appropriateness for T2DM patients of low SES). Descriptive statistics were used with current app recommendations. Qualitative text responses were analyzed and coded into themes and compared to quantitative data. App quality was considered high for domains scoring >8 on a 10-point scale. Interrater reliability was tested using intraclass correlations.

Results: Most clinicians recommended nutrition and health related apps to patient with T2DM almost always or often (58%; n=69). The top six apps most frequently recommended by clinicians included MyFitnessPal (59%; n=71), CalorieKing (42%; n=50), Lose It! (n=21; 18%), Fooducate (8%; n=10), FreeStyle LibreLink (5.83%; n=7), and Dexcom (5.83%; n=7). Most clinicians (73%; n=87) did not recommend specific apps to T2DM patients of low SES. Clinicians commonly reported perceiving apps effective for all SES levels and reported being unaware of apps specifically appropriate for patients of low SES. MyFitnessPal and FreeStyle LibreLink scored highest out of all the apps in educational domains (behavior change potential, knowledge building, and skill building). FreeStyle LibreLink was the only app analyzed to score high in appropriateness for patients with T2DM of low SES.

Conclusion: Diabetes educators most commonly use nutrition and fitness tracking apps to compliment current T2DM education programs. Despite all apps scoring well in at least one educational domain, only one app scored well for appropriateness to use with a low SES patient population. Further, there was a lack of awareness and understanding of apps appropriate for this population. Apps most appropriate for individuals with T2DM of low SES need to be identified and brought to the attention of clinicians working with these patients to manage their chronic disease.

Extent

107 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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