Using wearables and a phone app to find early signs of prediabetes

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

The GLOW UP project is a single-center, prospective observational case-control study in St. Gallen, Switzerland enrolling 200 adults aged 45 and older with BMI ≥25, including 100 with prediabetes and 100 normoglycemic controls. Participants will wear consumer wearable devices and use a smartphone app with image-based meal logging for about four weeks while clinical blood tests classify glycemic status. Researchers will analyze lifestyle and glycemic patterns, including between- and within-person variability, to identify personalized predictors of early metabolic dysregulation and will test how reminder messages affect meal logging adherence. The study emphasizes real-world data from wearables and apps to explore noninvasive signals linked to diabetes risk.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Citizens or residents of Switzerland who are German-speaking (main place of living or employment in Switzerland).
* Age ≥45 years.
* BMI ≥25 kg/m² (overweight or obese).
* Regular access to a smartphone (iOS or Android) with a data plan.
* Able to use smartphone applications.
* Able to walk independently.

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of stroke, heart disease, renal failure, cancer, or diabetes (type 1 or type 2).
* Past vascular bypass surgery or angioplasty.
* Current or planned use of glucose-lowering medications during the upcoming 4 weeks (e.g., GLP-1 receptor agonists, metformin).
* Pregnant or breastfeeding.
* Relevant skin conditions at wearable placement sites (e.g., upper arm).
* BMI \<25 kg/m² confirmed at enrollment.
* FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L and/or HbA1c ≥6.5% (newly identified type 2 diabetes); Individuals who meet type-2 diabetes criteria at enrollment, based on Swiss/ADA diagnostic criteria will be informed of blood test results and referred to a GP. These individuals will be deemed ineligible and excluded from the study.

Where it's running

• HOCH Health and School of Medicine, University of St. Gallen
  Sankt Gallen, Switzerland Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Mia Jovanova, Dr.
• Email: mia.jovanova@unisg.ch
• Phone: +41 44 632 05 41

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.