FOR EMBARGOED RELEASE
Thursday, March 23
Contact: Amy Stone
Phone: (414) 918-3156

PDA use can help to manage diet and reduce burden for patients with type 2 diabetes, presented at the 2006 SBM Annual Meeting in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)-based self-monitoring is useful in guiding people with type 2 diabetes in managing their diet and may reduce the burden associated with dietary self-management, according to a study presented today at the 2006 Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions in San Francisco.

Mary A. Sevick, ScD, RN, of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, and colleagues studied participants who were randomized to a 6-month behavioral intervention that included PDA-based self monitoring, or to an attention-control group.

In its first two years, the study enrolled 128 participants. Of the 102 participants who have completed the study to date, 97 (95%) have been retained. Of those intervention group participants using the PDA and who have completed their final 6-month assessment:

• 82% reported that they understood the usefulness of the PDA-monitoring
• 84% stated that entering foods into the program was easy
• 71% declared that feedback graphs were easily interpreted
• 82% reported that they would continue to use the PDA for dietary self-monitoring after the study concluded

This suggests that PDA-based self-monitoring can help to guide people with type 2 diabetes in managing their diet and may reduce the burden associated with dietary self-management.

###