A study of mobile phone use among patients with noncommunicable diseases in La Paz, Bolivia: implications for mHealth research and development

Kamis, Kevin; Janevic, Mary R.; Marinec, Nicolle; Jantz, Rachel; Valverde, Helen; Piette, John D.

doi:10.1186/s12992-015-0115-y

Cited by 37 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Culturally safe text-based interventions for retention in a clinical trial were found to be effective with Maori participants by other researchers [ 34 ]. Similar results have been found in Indigenous communities near La Paz, Bolivia; most participants texted regularly and were open to mHealth interventions, provided Indigenous language preferences were taken into account [ 35 ]. Indigenous language use was mentioned as a key factor for successful distribution and uptake in 3 other studies [ 14 , 36 , 37 ].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 77%

Development and Use of Health-Related Technologies in Indigenous Communities: Critical Review

2017

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BackgroundOlder Indigenous adults encounter multiple challenges as their age intersects with health inequities. Research suggests that a majority of older Indigenous adults prefer to age in place, and they will need culturally safe assistive technologies to do so.ObjectiveThe aim of this critical review was to examine literature concerning use, adaptation, and development of assistive technologies for health purposes by Indigenous peoples.MethodsWorking within Indigenous research methodologies and from a decolonizing approach, searches of peer-reviewed academic and gray literature dated to February 2016 were conducted using keywords related to assistive technology and Indigenous peoples. Sources were reviewed and coded thematically.ResultsOf the 34 sources captured, only 2 concerned technology specifically for older Indigenous adults. Studies detailing technology with Indigenous populations of all ages originated primarily from Canada (n=12), Australia (n=10), and the United States (n=9) and were coded to four themes: meaningful user involvement and community-based processes in development, the digital divide, Indigenous innovation in technology, and health technology needs as holistic and interdependent.ConclusionsA key finding is the necessity of meaningful user involvement in technology development, especially in communities struggling with the digital divide. In spite of, or perhaps because of this divide, Indigenous communities are enthusiastically adapting mobile technologies to suit their needs in creative, culturally specific ways. This enthusiasm and creativity, coupled with the extensive experience many Indigenous communities have with telehealth technologies, presents opportunity for meaningful, culturally safe development processes.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 77%

Development and Use of Health-Related Technologies in Indigenous Communities: Critical Review

2017

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“…SMS- or email-based programs offer several advantages over traditional mass media for health promotion and disease prevention, as they provide opportunities for interactive 2-way communication [ 15 ] and target specific, tailored behavior change communication [ 16 , 19 ]. Such interventions offer the opportunity for dissemination of automated, timely, and target-specific messages, which can be designed to complement or mirror in-person counselling [ 20 , 21 ]. For example, messages can offer tailored advice, behavior tracking, goal setting, encouragement, or personal feedback in different stages of behavior change [ 22 - 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Reach of mHealth Versus Traditional Mass Media for Prevention of Chronic Diseases: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Survey in a Middle-Income Country in Africa

Yepes¹,

Maurer²,

Viswanathan³

et al. 2016

J Med Internet Res

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BackgroundPublic radio and television announcements have a long tradition in public health education. With the global rise of computer and mobile device ownership, short message service (SMS) and email-based health services (mHealth) are promising new tools for health promotion.ObjectiveOur objectives were to examine 1) self-reported exposure to programs related to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) on national public television and radio during the 12 months preceding the survey (2013–2014), 2) current ownership of a mobile phone, smartphone, computer, or tablet, and use of the Internet, and 3) willingness of individuals to receive SMS or emails with information on health, with a focus on distribution of these variables across different demographic, socioeconomic status (SES), and NCD risk groups.MethodsWe obtained data in a population survey of 1240 participants aged 25–64 years conducted in 2013–2014 in the Seychelles, a rapidly developing small island state in the African region. We administered a structured questionnaire and measured NCD risk factors. Univariate and multivariate analyses explored the relationships between outcomes and sociodemographic variables.ResultsOf 1240 participants, 1037 (83.62%) reported exposure to NCD-related programs on public television, while a lower proportion of 740 adults (59.67%), reported exposure via public radio (P <.001). Exposure to NCD-related programs on public television was associated with older age (P <.001) and female sex (P <.001), but not with SES, while exposure to NCD-related programs on public radio was associated with older age (P <.001) and lower SES (P <.001). A total of 1156 (93.22%) owned a mobile phone and ownership was positively associated with female sex (P <.001), younger age (P <.001), and higher SES (P <.001). Only 396 adults (31.93%) owned a smartphone and 244 adults (19.67%) used their smartphone to access the Internet. A total of 1048 adults (84.51%) reported willingness to receive health-related SMS, which was positively associated with female sex (P <.001), younger age (P <.001), and higher SES (P <.001). Controlling for SES, exposure to NCD-related programs on public television or radio and willingness to receive health-related SMS were not independently associated with a person’s NCD risk.ConclusionsBroadcasting health programs through traditional mass media (national public radio and television) reached the majority of the population under study, including older adults and those in lower socioeconomic groups. With a high penetration of mobile phones and willingness to receive health-related SMS, mHealth presents an opportunity for health programs, especially when targeted SMS messages are intended for younger adults and those in higher socioeconomic groups. By contrast, due to reduced Internet access, email-based programs had a more limited reach for health promotion programs. These findings emphasize the different reach of interventions using SMS or email versus traditional mass media, according to demographic and socioeconomic categories, f...

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“…Cell phone penetrance in Bolivia is high. While no official numbers are available, a recent study in hospitals of the cities of La Paz and El Alto found that over 96% of patients ages 18-29 owned a cell phone [34]. Recent efforts from the Bolivian government have delivered cell phone service in rural areas of the country.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions and prospects in life sciences in a heterogeneous Latin American population

Ferreira

Lopez-Videla³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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43Particular challenges exist for science education in the developing world, 44where limited resources beget curricula designed to balance state-of-the-art 45 knowledge with practical and political considerations in region-specific contexts. 46Project-based biology teaching is particularly difficult to execute due to high 47 infrastructural costs and limited teacher training. Here, we report our results 48 implementing short, challenging, and low-cost biology courses to high school and 49 college students in Bolivia, designed and taught in collaboration between 50 scientists from developed nations and local science instructors. We find our 51 approach to be effective at transmitting advanced topics in disease modeling, 52 microscopy, genome engineering, neuroscience, microbiology, and regenerative 53 biology. Importantly, this approach was unaffected by the students' backgrounds, 54 education level, socioeconomic status, or initial interest in the course, and 55 increased participants' interest in pursuing scientific careers. These results 56 demonstrate efficacy of participatory learning in a developing nation, and suggest 57 that such techniques could drive scientific engagement in other developing 58 economies. 59 60 61 Countries, Latin America 63 64 65 66 relatively small territory the most diverse country in Latin America [7, 90 8]. Moreover, three Bolivian cities are projected as the fastest-growing Latin 91American economies by 2030, as measured by middle-income population 92 growth, with a fifteen-fold hike expected in the most populous city, Santa Cruz 93[9]. The country accounts for only 0.22% of Latin American STI research outputs 94 and has negligible rates of patent awards [4, 10]. Despite a decade of relative 95 political stability and government education expenditures exceeding 8% of 96 GDP-highest in the region and far above any developed country, with the 97

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A study of mobile phone use among patients with noncommunicable diseases in La Paz, Bolivia: implications for mHealth research and development

Cited by 37 publications

References 35 publications

Development and Use of Health-Related Technologies in Indigenous Communities: Critical Review

Development and Use of Health-Related Technologies in Indigenous Communities: Critical Review

Potential Reach of mHealth Versus Traditional Mass Media for Prevention of Chronic Diseases: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Survey in a Middle-Income Country in Africa

Perceptions and prospects in life sciences in a heterogeneous Latin American population

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