Social Media Helps With Diabetes Control

There is a beneficial link between social media usage and glycemic control, as found in a random sample of an Iraqi population of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) measured by A1c levels.

The multicenter, cross-sectional study led by Jabbar J Atia and colleagues was published in Clinical Medicine Insights: Endocrinology and Diabetes. It included 2,921 participants with a mean age of 53.3 years as well as a matched control cohort (n=2,921).

Social media platforms used by study participants included Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, X, and Viber.

Fifty-six percent of participants successfully reached their A1c goals within a mean 18.17 months, with a significant correlation found between achieving their target and social media use (P=.0001). The study also noted that a family history of diabetes correlated with achieving the desired A1c outcome, suggesting a probable positive correlation (P=.019).

Access to positive social media content that shares evidence-based information, boosts motivation, and provides emotional support will hopefully continue to have an impact on individuals trying to meet their A1c goals.