Evidence mapPaperPMID 37338977Full record

Trial reportJMIR mHealth and uHealth2023

The Effectiveness of a Traditional Chinese Medicine-Based Mobile Health App for Individuals With Prediabetes: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Hsueh-Wen Chung, Chen-Jei Tai, Polun Chang, Wen-Lin Su, Li-Yin Chien

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04096989 (The Development and Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine Regimen-based Lifestyle and Mobile Health Application Intervention for People With Prediabetes), which is not on this map. Cited by 18 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
13.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04096989 nacompletednot on this map

The Development and Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine Regimen-based Lifestyle and Mobile Health Application Intervention for People With Prediabetes

TypeinterventionalSponsorTaipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical FoundationRan2020 to 2021Enrolled121ConditionsPreDiabetesArmsTraditional Chinese medicine regimen-based lifestyle mobile health APP, Lifestyle mobile health APP
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Digital Therapeutics in China: Comprehensive Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025
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  12. Review
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  16. Concerns on Generalizability.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023
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  17. Authors' Reply: Concerns on Generalizability.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Hsueh-Wen ChungDepartment of Nursing, College of Nursing, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0003-4420-5756
Chen-Jei TaiTai's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, Taipei City, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0001-7304-6489
Polun ChangInstitute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-5817-0462
Wen-Lin SuDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-9065-2058
Li-Yin ChienInstitute of Community Health Care, College of Nursing, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-4210-2975
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · TWTaipei Medical University · TWTzu Chi University · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories assert that body constitution and meridian energy lay the foundation for disease prevention. TCM-based health concepts have not yet been incorporated into mobile health (mHealth) apps for individuals with prediabetes.

objectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a TCM mHealth app for individuals with prediabetes.

methodsThis randomized controlled trial recruited 121 individuals with prediabetes at a teaching hospital in New Taipei City between February 2020 and May 2021. The participants were randomly assigned to the TCM mHealth app group (n=42), ordinary mHealth app group (n=41), or control group (n=38). All participants received the usual care that included 15-20 minutes of health education about the disease, along with healthy diet and exercise encouragement. The ordinary mHealth app included physical activity (PA), diet, and disease education, along with individual records. The TCM mHealth app additionally included qi and body constitution information, along with constitution-based PA and diet advice. The control group received the usual care alone and did not have access to any app. Data were collected at baseline, at the end of the 12-week intervention, and 1 month after the intervention. Body constitution, including yang-deficiency, yin-deficiency, and phlegm-stasis, was measured according to the Body Constitution Questionnaire, with higher scores indicating a greater deficiency. Body energy was examined using the Meridian Energy Analysis Device. The Short-Form 36 questionnaire was used to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which yielded physical component scores and mental component scores, with higher scores indicating better physical and mental aspects of HRQOL, respectively.

resultsCompared to the control group, the TCM mHealth app group showed greater improvement in hemoglobin A

conclusionsUse of either the ordinary or TCM mHealth app improved HRQOL among individuals with prediabetes. Compared to the outcomes of controls not using any app, use of the TCM mHealth app was effective at improving HbA

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04096989; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04096989.

Indexed as

Mobile ApplicationsPrediabetic StateTelemedicineHumansMedicine, Chinese TraditionalQuality of LifeYin Deficiencybody constitutionhealth-related quality of lifemeridian energymHealth appprediabetestraditional Chinese medicine

Identifiers

PMID37338977
PMCPMC10337399
OpenAlexW4378191580

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.