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Background: Mobile health interventions may support risk factor management and are readily scalable in healthcare systems. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of a text messaging-based intervention to improve glycemic control in patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus in China., Methods and Results: The CHAT-DM study (Cardiovascular Health and Texting-Diabetes Mellitus) was a parallel-group, single-blind, randomized clinical trial that included 502 patients with both coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus from 34 hospitals in China. The intervention group (n=251) received 6 text messages per week for 6 months in addition to usual care. Messages were theory driven and culturally tailored to provide educational and motivational information on glucose monitoring, blood pressure control, medication adherence, physical activity, and lifestyle. The control group (n=251) received usual care and 2 thank you messages per month. The primary outcome was change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1C [hemoglobin A 1C ]) from baseline to 6 months. Secondary outcomes were change in proportion of patients achieving HbA 1C <7%, fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, body mass index, and physical activity from baseline to 6 months. The end points were assessed using analyses of covariance. The follow-up rate was 99%. When compared with control group at 6 months, the intervention group had a greater reduction in HbA 1C (-0.2% versus 0.1%; P=0.003) and a greater proportion of participants who achieved HbA 1C <7% (69.3% versus 52.6%; P=0.004). Change in fasting blood glucose was larger in the intervention group (between-group difference: -0.6 mmol/L; 95% CI, -1.1 to -0.2; P=0.011), but no other outcome differences were observed. Nearly all participants reported that messages were easy to understand (97.1%) and useful (94.1%)., Conclusions: A text message intervention resulted in better glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease. While the mechanism of this benefit remains to be determined, the results suggest that a simple, culturally sensitive mobile text messaging program may provide an effective and feasible way to improve disease self-management., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02883842.

Background: Mobile health technologies are low cost, scalable interventions with the potential to promote patient engagement and behavior change. We aimed to test whether a culturally sensitive text messaging intervention supporting secondary prevention improves the control of risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease in China., Methods and Results: In this multicenter, single-blinded randomized controlled trial, 822 patients (mean age, 56.4 [SD, 9.5] years; 14.1% women) with coronary heart disease and without diabetes mellitus from 37 hospitals in China were enrolled between August 2016 and March 2017. In addition to usual care, the control group (n=411) received 2 thank you messages/month; the intervention group (n=411) received 6 text messages/week for 6 months delivered by an automated computerized system. The messages provided educational and motivational information related to disease-specific knowledge, risk factor control, physical activity, and medication adherence. The primary end point was change in systolic blood pressure from baseline to 6 months. Secondary end points included the proportion with systolic blood pressure <140 mm Hg, smoking status, and change in body mass index, LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and physical activity (assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire). The end points were assessed using analyses of covariance. Follow-up was 99.6%. At 6 months, systolic blood pressure was not significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group, with a mean change (SD) of 3.2 (14.3) mm Hg and 2.0 (15.0) mm Hg ( P>0.05) from baseline, respectively (mean net change, -1.3 mm Hg [95% CI, -3.3 to 0.8]; P=0.221). There were no significant differences in the change in LDL-C level, physical activity, body mass index, or smoking status between the 2 groups. Nearly all patients in the intervention group reported the text messages to be useful (96.1%), easy to understand (98.8%), appropriate in frequency (93.8%), and reported being willing to receive future text messages (94.8%)., Conclusions: Text messages supporting secondary prevention among patients with coronary heart disease did not lead to a greater reduction in blood pressure at 6 months. Mobile phone text messaging for secondary prevention was feasible and highly acceptable to patients., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT02888769.