Nicola Maxwell
Head of Fitbit Health Solutions in Europe,
the Middle East and Africa
Emma Elvin
Senior Clinical Advisor at Diabetes UK
Blood glucose logging could help to create a holistic view of the impact diabetes can have on daily life.
The latest insights from Diabetes UK show that over 4.9 million people are currently living with diabetes in the UK with rates almost doubling in the last 15 years.1 At the current prevalence rates, the NHS spends around £10 billion on average each year in managing and treating the condition which will also increase alongside growing rates. However, research consistently shows that combined lifestyle interventions can be effective in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes by ~50%.2,3
The pandemic has significantly impacted patient access to healthcare and millions of patients with diabetes have been unable to get regular health checks with their healthcare team.4 With many GP appointments still being held remotely,5 wearable devices are increasingly being piloted to help people monitor long-term health conditions and as a result, the value of wearable devices to help people better manage such long-term health conditions is becoming increasingly recognised.6
Focussing on holistic health
Fitbit has a multi-year partnership with Diabetes UK to help raise awareness of the condition and help educate people on the importance of getting to know their body and how it works, in order to encourage behaviour changes that may help lessen the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and help people to understand their diabetes, in addition to benefiting overall health and wellbeing.7
We want to help empower people with cardiometabolic conditions such as diabetes so they can better manage their health and wellbeing.
In November, people in the UK will be able to use a new blood glucose logging tool from Fitbit, to help those living with diabetes. They will be able to track their glucose levels by manually logging them in the app throughout the day. Users can then view those levels right in the app alongside other metrics from Fitbit such as physical activity, sleep and their logged nutrition, to help better manage their holistic health and wellness all in one place. Within the app, users will be able to set personalised ranges so they can see when they are outside their target range to better identify important changes. They can also receive reminders to log their glucose levels so they can view their trends over time.
“We want to help empower people with cardiometabolic conditions such as diabetes so they can better manage their health and wellbeing,” says Nicola Maxwell, Head of Fitbit Health Solutions in EMEA. “We hope that by making the blood glucose logging feature available through our app, it will help provide accessibility for more people. We are passionate that our work with Diabetes UK will continue to raise awareness for and help improve the health of those living with diabetes.”
Useful tools and technology
The increasing rates of diabetes, coupled with the growth of patient self-management and wider adoption of digital health services,8 highlights the need for tools and technology to help people with diabetes better manage their condition.
“Often when people are diagnosed with diabetes, they feel overwhelmed and in reality, have to spend most of the time self-managing their condition,” says Emma Elvin, Senior Clinical Advisor at Diabetes UK. “By logging their blood glucose levels in the Fitbit app, users can see what types of lifestyle factors affect their diabetes and how their blood sugar fluctuates. Seeing all their trends in one place, can help to give people a greater sense of control and begin to make small changes to help them manage their diabetes more effectively.”
* The Blood Glucose feature is not a replacement for medical advice and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. It is intended to simply help you monitor and keep track of your information. You should talk to your healthcare provider for more guidance on blood glucose management.
** This feature is rolling out to all UK users, English only in November.
[1] https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/diabetes-diagnoses-doubled-prevalence-2021
[2] https://www.diabetes.org.uk/resources-s3/2017-11/diabetes%20uk%20cost%20of%20diabetes%20report.pdf
[3] https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/diabetes-diagnoses-doubled-prevalence-2021
[4] https://www.nursinginpractice.com/clinical/diabetes/millions-with-diabetes-at-risk-due-to-covid-backlog/
[5] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58670560
[6] https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n413
[7] https://mrc.ukri.org/documents/pdf/diabetes-uk-facts-and-stats-june-2015/#:~:text=DIAGNOSED%20Around%20700%20people%20a,1.4%20million%20to%203.3%20million4.
[8] https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/comment/pandemic-importance-telemedicine/
