Use of mobile health (mHealth) apps—which include mobile computing, medical sensors, and communications technologies used for healthcare services—by patients with diabe–tes, when compared with nonuse, results in better health outcomes, more effective regulation of health behavior, fewer hospitalizations, and lower medical costs, according to a study accepted for publication in MIS Quarterly.“Given the importance of health behaviors to well-being, health outcomes, and disease processes, mHealth technologies offer significant potential to facilitate patients’ lifestyle and behavior modifi-cation through patient education, improved autonomous self-regulation, and perceived competence,” said a study coauthor. For the study, more than 1,000 adults with diabe–tes were randomized to 3 months of mHealth app use, no use, or use of a Web-based ver–sion of the app. Those using the mHealth app reduced their blood glucose and hemoglobin levels, even after controlling for individual-level fixed effects. mHealth app users also ex–ercised more, slept more, and ate healthier food when compared with non-users, with the mHealth platform outperforming the Web-based version.
