Web-Based TangPlan and WeChat Combination to Support Self-management for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: China has the largest number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the world. However, owing to insufficient knowledge of self-management in patients with diabetes, blood glucose (BG) control is poor. Most diabetes-related self-management applications fail to bring significant benefits to patients with T2DM because of the low use rate and difficult operation.

Objective: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the combination of the self-designed web-based T2DM management software TangPlan and WeChat on fasting BG (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA), body weight, blood pressure (BP), and lipid profiles in patients with T2DM over a 6-month period.

Methods: Participants were recruited and randomized into the TangPlan and WeChat or control groups. Participants in the control group received usual care, whereas the TangPlan and WeChat participants received self-management guidance with the help of TangPlan and WeChat from health care professionals, including BG self-monitoring; healthy eating; active physical exercise; increasing medication compliance; and health education during follow-ups, lectures, or web-based communication. They were also asked to record and send self-management data to the health care professionals via WeChat to obtain timely and effective guidance on diabetes self-management.

Results: In this study, 76.9% (120/156) of participants completed the 6-month follow-up visit. After the intervention, FBG (mean 6.51, SD 1.66 mmol/L; P=.048), HbA (mean 6.87%, SD 1.11%; P<.001), body weight (mean 66.50, SD 9.51 kg; P=.006), systolic BP (mean 127.03, SD 8.00 mm Hg; P=.005), diastolic BP (mean 75.25, SD 5.88 mm Hg; P=.03), serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mean 2.50, SD 0.61 mmol/L; P=.006), and total cholesterol (mean 4.01, SD 0.83 mmol/L; P=.02) in the TangPlan and WeChat group were all significantly lower, whereas serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mean 1.20, SD 0.25 mmol/L; P=.01) was remarkably higher than in those in the control group. Compared with the baseline data, significance was found in the mean change in FBG (95% CI -0.83 to -0.20; P=.002), HbA (95% CI -1.92 to -1.28; P<.001), body weight (95% CI -3.13 to -1.68; P<.001), BMI (95% CI -1.10 to -0.60; P<.001), systolic BP (95% CI -7.37 to -3.94; P<.001), diastolic BP (95% CI -4.52 to -2.33; P<.001), triglycerides (95% CI -0.16 to -0.03; P=.004), serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (95% CI -0.54 to -0.30; P<.001), and total cholesterol (95% CI -0.60 to -0.34; P<.001) in the TangPlan and WeChat group but not in the control group (P=.08-.88).

Conclusions: Compared with usual care for patients with T2DM, the combination of TangPlan and WeChat was effective in improving glycemic control (decrease in HbA and BG levels) and serum lipid profiles as well as reducing body weight in patients with T2DM after 6 months.

Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000028843; https://tinyurl.com/559kuve6.