Ecological momentary assessment for health behaviors and contextual factors in persons with diabetes: A systematic review

Aim The objective of this systematic review was to summarize the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology and associations between EMA-measured psychosocial, contextual factors and diabetes self-management. Methods The inclusion criteria were: research of EMA and diabetes self-management behaviors such as glucose checks, administration of insulin and eating-and dietary intake behaviors among persons with diabetes. A comprehensive search of several databases was conducted across all dates until July 2020. Results A modified Checklist for Reporting EMA Studies was used to assess the quality of studies. Among the ten included studies, participants were predominantly White adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes was studied in two studies. Time-varying, psychosocial contexts such as negative affect or negative social interaction were associated with missed insulin injection and poor adherence to glucose check. More preceding psychological stress was associated with more calorie intake from snacks or binge eating behaviors. Mornings were the most challenging time of day for adherence to diabetes self-management among adolescents with T1D. Intentional insulin withholding was more common in the afternoon in adults with T1D. Conclusions EMA has potential clinical utility in the assessment of diabetes self-management and in the development of timely and individualized diabetes interventions.