Introduction: Growing evidence indicates that continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) improves glucose outcomes. However, its use among Chinese Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is understudied, despite their high T2D prevalence with persistent disparities in diabetes management. To address this gap, we conducted a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits of CGM for glucose control in this population. Methods: We conducted a one-group, single-site, prospective cohort study among Chinese Americans with T2D. On the first day of the study, our research staff put on a study-provided Freestyle Libre CGM for participants and instructed them on CGM use. Participants were also asked to record their food intake using a paper diary. At the end of the 14-day study, research staff removed the CGM from participants, downloaded the CGM data, and reviewed the CGM results alongside participants’ food diaries to help them identify potential factors influencing their glucose based on the CGM results. Descriptive analysis was conducted using SPSS due to the small sample size for a pilot study. Results: Chinese Americans with T2D (N=11) had a mean age of 55. 6±9. 5 years and an average of 16. 0±2. 8 years of education. Among them, 72. 7% were male, 81. 8% were employed, 72. 7% were married, and 55. 5% reported a family income greater than 100, 000. Most participants (81. 8%) primarily spoke English, and all had health insurance coverage (Private insurance: 54. 5%; Medicare: 18. 2%; Medicaid: 9. 1%). Participants had a duration of diabetes history of 7. 4±3. 1 years, and the mean BMI was 27. 2±4. 2 kg/m 2. Comorbid conditions included hyperlipidemia (54. 5%), hypertension (36. 4 %), and coronary heart disease (18. 2%). The 2-week CGM report showed a mean glucose of 126. 7 ± 30. 6 mg/dL, glucose management indicator (an estimation of a person’s A1c calculated from CGM) of 6. 35±0. 73, and glucose variability of 23. 9±6. 0. Trends indicated an increase in time in range (70-180 mg/dL), while a decrease in time above range (glucose level >180 mg/dL) and time below range (glucose level <70 mg/dL) (Fig. 1). Conclusions: Our pilot findings suggest that CGM use holds promising potential for improving glucose control among Chinese Americans with T2D. Future studies with larger and more diverse samples and longer durations are warranted to confirm these preliminary findings and clarify the mechanisms through which CGM use improves glucose outcomes and reduces cardiometabolic health disparities.
Zheng et al. (Tue,) studied this question.