According to the team, the latter group’s regression coefficients were -0.63 for smoking, -0.22 for the quantity of alcohol consumed, -0.27 for systolic blood pressure, and -0.34 for diastolic blood pressure. The closer the value is to 1, the better the patient managed his or her health. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, July 14 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent study conducted by a research team from the family medicine department at Seoul National University’s Bundang Hospital revealed that individuals who manage their health using smartphones can better monitor and regulate their blood pressure and smoking and drinking habits than those who don’t. The study was conducted in partnership with The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, and looked at the habits of 95 individuals.
The study subjects were divided into two groups, with 52 individuals using smartphone monitoring programs to track their health, and the other 43 using conventional medical treatment methods.
‘Smartphone monitoring program’ refers to a system that allows for the real-time observation of various bio-signals, and offers health feedback accordingly to users.
Via multiple regression analysis, the research team analyzed the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) of the subjects. PAM is used to assess an individual’s knowledge, skill, and confidence in managing their own health and healthcare.
The numeric value derived from the analysis falls between -1 and 1, which would ultimately determine how much the use or non-use of a smartphone monitoring program affected a subject’s blood pressure, and the quantity of cigarettes and alcohol consumed.
The values derived from the 43 subjects who didn’t use the smartphone program were statistically insignificant. However, the 52 individuals who used the program were able to better-regulate their blood pressure, and showed improved management of alcohol and cigarette consumption.
According to the team, the latter group’s regression coefficients were -0.63 for smoking, -0.22 for the quantity of alcohol consumed, -0.27 for systolic blood pressure, and -0.34 for diastolic blood pressure. The closer the value is to 1, the better the patient managed his or her health.
“What we can learn from the result is that health-sensitive individuals can further improve the management of their health when using a smartphone’s health features,” said Dr. Kim Joo-young, who led the Korean research team. “The discovery is significant in that we were able to prove the effectiveness of smartphone-driven healthcare.”
The full research findings were published in the latest edition of Journal of Medical Internet Research.
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
