Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Feb 13;20(2):e58.
doi: 10.2196/jmir.9190.

Role of Social Media in Diabetes Management in the Middle East Region: Systematic Review

Turki Alanzi  1
Affiliations

Role of Social Media in Diabetes Management in the Middle East Region: Systematic Review

Turki Alanzi. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a major health care burden in the Middle East region. Social networking tools can contribute to the management of diabetes with improved educational and care outcomes using these popular tools in the region.

Objective: The objective of this review was to evaluate the impact of social networking interventions on the improvement of diabetes management and health outcomes in patients with diabetes in the Middle East.

Methods: Peer-reviewed articles from PubMed (1990-2017) and Google Scholar (1990-2017) were identified using various combinations of predefined terms and search criteria. The main inclusion criterion consisted of the use of social networking apps on mobile phones as the primary intervention. Outcomes were grouped according to study design, type of diabetes, category of technological intervention, location, and sample size.

Results: This review included 5 articles evaluating the use of social media tools in the management of diabetes in the Middle East. In most studies, the acceptance rate for the use of social networking to optimize the management of diabetes was relatively high. Diabetes-specific management tools such as the Saudi Arabia Networking for Aiding Diabetes and Diabetes Intelligent Management System for Iraq systems helped collect patient information and lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, respectively.

Conclusions: The reviewed studies demonstrated the potential of social networking tools being adopted in regions in the Middle East to improve the management of diabetes. Future studies consisting of larger sample sizes spanning multiple regions would provide further insight into the use of social media for improving patient outcomes.

Keywords: Middle East; Saudi Arabia; cell phone; eHealth; mobile phone; outcome of care; social media; telemedicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Remedi MS, Emfinger C. Pancreatic β-cell identity in diabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2016 Sep;18 Suppl 1:110–6. doi: 10.1111/dom.12727. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/27615139 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Weir GC, Bonner-Weir S. Islet β cell mass in diabetes and how it relates to function, birth, and death. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2013 Apr;1281:92–105. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12031. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12031. - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wild S, Roglic G, Green A, Sicree R, King H. Global prevalence of diabetes: estimates for the year 2000 and projections for 2030. Diabetes Care. 2004 May;27(5):1047–53. - PubMed
    1. Butler AE, Janson J, Bonner-Weir S, Ritzel R, Rizza RA, Butler PC. Beta-cell deficit and increased beta-cell apoptosis in humans with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes. 2003 Jan;52(1):102–10. http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=12502499 - PubMed
    1. Delavari A, Forouzanfar MH, Alikhani S, Sharifian A, Kelishadi R. First nationwide study of the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and optimal cutoff points of waist circumference in the Middle East: the national survey of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases of Iran. Diabetes Care. 2009 Jun;32(6):1092–7. doi: 10.2337/dc08-1800. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/19279302 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types