Using a Motivational Interviewing (MI) Informed Text Messaging Program to Lower Blood Sugar in Diabetic Patients.

Despite advances in medical therapy for diabetes, significant numbers of patients fail to achieve adequate blood glucose control. Diabetic patients who engage in more self-care behaviors have better glycemic control, as measured by HbA1C. Patient "activation", defined as the knowledge, skills, beliefs, and behaviors to manage a chronic disease, is key to the performance of these self-care behaviors.

There is a growing literature on diabetes behavioral change interventions; however interventions are often developed and implemented without consideration of patients readiness to engage in lifestyle changes. Additionally, patient-tailored interventions require intensive clinical and financial resources, making them difficult to integrate into clinical practice. Mobile text messaging (SMS) programs have been successfully used to promote smoking cessation, alcohol cessation, and weight loss in diverse patient populations. SMS interventions for diabetes have also been developed, but they have been designed primarily to provide feedback on blood glucose management, rather than to motivate behavioral change. The few studies that included motivational content as a primary feature, did not tailor their intervention to a patient's readiness for change or rigorously describe their motivational intervention, and show limited efficacy.

To address these concerns, we will perform a three-month randomized controlled pilot study to develop and test a Motivational Interviewing (MI)-informed SMS intervention tailored to patient level of activation for patients with poorly controlled type II diabetes.