The Cedar Project - Mobile Phone Use and Acceptability of Mobile Health Among Young Indigenous People Who Have Used Drugs in British Columbia, Canada: Mixed Methods Exploratory Study
| Autor: | Margo E. Pearce, Martin T. Schechter, Richard T. Lester, Patricia M. Spittal, Kate Jongbloed, Lou Demerais, Richa Sharma, V. O. Thomas, Sherri Pooyak |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Gerontology
Substance-Related Disorders Population substance use Health Informatics Information technology Indigenous Cohort Studies 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) Phone Surveys and Questionnaires Health care medicine Humans text messaging 030212 general & internal medicine education Indigenous Peoples mHealth mobile health Qualitative Research education.field_of_study Original Paper 030505 public health British Columbia business.industry Patient Acceptance of Health Care T58.5-58.64 medicine.disease Telemedicine Cell Phone Use Mobile phone HIV/AIDS Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Thematic analysis 0305 other medical science business Psychology |
| Zdroj: | JMIR mHealth and uHealth JMIR mHealth and uHealth, Vol 8, Iss 7, p e16783 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 2291-5222 |
| Popis: | Background Indigenous leaders continue to be concerned about high rates of HIV and barriers to HIV treatment among young Indigenous people involved in substance use. Growing evidence suggests that using mobile phones for health (mHealth) may be a powerful way to support connection with health services, including HIV prevention and treatment. Objective This study examined the patterns of mobile phone ownership and use among young Indigenous people who have used drugs living with or vulnerable to HIV and explored the acceptability of mHealth to support access to health care in this population. Methods The Cedar Project is a cohort study involving young Indigenous people who have used drugs in Vancouver and Prince George, British Columbia. This mixed methods exploratory study involved 131 Cedar Project participants enrolled in our WelTel mHealth program. At enrollment, participants completed a questionnaire related to mobile phone use and interest in mHealth. Data were linked to Cedar Project questionnaires and serodata. We present comparative statistics (quantitative) and results of a rapid thematic analysis (qualitative) related to mobile phone patterns and interest in receiving mHealth. Results Less than half of the participants (59/130; 45.4%) reported owning a phone. Among those with a phone, the majority owned a smartphone (46/59; 78%). Most participants with a phone reported having an unlimited texting plan (39/55; 71%), using the internet on their phone (44/59; 75%), and texting daily (44/55; 80%). A majority reported that using a mobile phone for health would be invaluable (120/130; 92.3%). There were no differences in mHealth acceptance between participants who owned a phone and those who did not (P>.99). All but one participant living with HIV felt using a mobile phone would be helpful for their health, while a small proportion of HIV-negative participants remained unsure (1.9% vs 11.7%; P=.047). In response to open-ended questions asking why using a mobile phone may be helpful for health, participants identified a diverse set of anticipated benefits: (1) connection for emotional, mental, and spiritual support, (2) connection to family, (3) staying in touch and/or being reachable, (4) overcoming current barriers to phone use, (5) convenience, privacy, and safety, and (6) access to health care and emergency services. Conclusions We observed high acceptance and interest in using mobile phone technology for health despite low rates of personal mobile phone connectivity among young Indigenous people who have used drugs living with and vulnerable to HIV in British Columbia, Canada. Mobile phones were viewed as a way to support connections and relationships that are seen as critical to health and well-being among young Indigenous people in this study. Findings may be useful for health care providers preparing to scale up mHealth programs to support HIV prevention and treatment in this population. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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