Educational Effect of Short Message Service and Telegram Reminders on Adherence to the Diet in Teenagers with Type I Diabetes in Gorgan 2018

Patient education plays an important role in controlling diabetes. Training through texting and telegram is effective due to the elimination of time and place constraints. Moreover, an influential care relationship is established with the client. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of educating by short message service (SMS) and telegram reminders on adherence to the diet in teenagers with type I diabetes.


This interventional study was carried out on 68 children and teenagers aged 12-16 years with type 1 diabetes in Gorgan, Iran in 2018. Sampling was performed through simple random sampling followed by random assignment into three groups of SMS (23 people), telegram (22 people), and control (23 people). The SMS and telegram groups received a diet-based educational program for 12 weeks as three messages per week. Data collection was completed using a demographic questionnaire and a scale for the Mediterranean diet. All the data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software version 21.


The mean dietary adherence in the telegram group (P=0.001) demonstrated a higher elevation post-intervention, compared to the SMS group (P=0.004). In addition, in the control group, no significant alteration  (P=0.08) was observed post-intervention, in comparison with pre-intervention.


According to our findings, SMS and telegram services can be used as a new and effective method for the formation of nutritional behaviors. Therefore, the results of this study can be used to train diabetic patients in clinics and treatment centers.