Lifestyle changes from online information are associated with discussing the information with a doctor A cross-sectional study among members of the Norwegian Diabetes Association

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of diabetes and the use of electronic health (eHealth) are increasing. There are strong indications that lifestyle changes in a positive direction may reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. However, little is known about the association between the use of eHealth and lifestyle changes in people with diabetes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate to what extent people with diabetes report lifestyle changes based on online information, and to examine associations between lifestyle changes and sociodemographic factors, health, and discussing the information with a doctor.

Methods: We used email survey data obtained from 1250 members of the Norwegian Diabetes Association aged 18 to 89 years in 2018. Included in the analyses was the 847 persons who were diagnosed with diabetes themselves and had used eHealth within the previous year. We used descriptive statistics to estimate internet triggered lifestyle changes. Logistic regressions were used to estimate the associations between lifestyle changes and gender, age, education, self-rated health, and discussing the information with a doctor.

Results: Lifestyle changes accomplished after online information was reported by 46.9% (397/847) of the participants. The odds for changing lifestyle was more than doubled for those who had discussed information from the internet with a doctor (OR 2.54, CI 1.90-3.40). The odds for lifestyle changes decreased with age over 60 years, and in the age group 30-39 years. Internet-triggered lifestyle changes were not associated with gender, education, or self-rated health.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that internet can play a significant role in lifestyle changes among people with diabetes. This study underlines the importance of easily available high-quality online information. Our findings also indicate that health-care professionals can play an important role in lifestyle changes additional to health-advice found on the internet.