Interventions
T2D, chronic disease type, CHD, weight loss, diabetes
DIABETES
The protocol for SupportMe has been previously described [The intervention comprised 4 SMS text messages per week sent automatically at random times by an SMS text messaging engine between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays for 6 months. Messages were personalized (eg, including the participant’s name and the hospital they were connected to), customized based on baseline clinical characteristics and risk factors (eg, smoking, insulin use, and vegetarianism) and chronic disease type (CHD, T2D, or both), and selected as per prespecified computerized algorithms [SMS text messages from a previous study [Each message was unique. Examples of the SMS text messages include “Did you exercise today?” “Has your Dr checked & discussed your cholesterol levels with you recently? These need regular review,” “Healthy eating means at least 5 serves of vegetables & 2 serves of fruit every day,” “Did you know that some diabetes medications can help with weight loss? Talk to your Doctor to see if these are options for you,” “Activity can be accumulated in shorter bouts of 10 minutes each,” and “Try steaming, baking or grilling to reduce the need for oil when cooking.” The number of messages addressing various topics is provided in Table S1 in Messaging was unidirectional with no expectation of return messages, but these were monitored by a researcher. Where return messages suggested potential clinical concern, they were escalated to a physician for review. This researcher did not participate in the data collection or analysis.