Mobile technology as a health literacy enabler in African rural areas: a literature review

Abstract

Background: Since the launch of mobile phones three decade ago, the latter have been used to support healthcare systems through various mobile health (m-health) applications. In recent years, multiple mobile phone-based health projects and applications have emerged. Despite the great enthusiasm around m-health, few studies have examined the use of cell phones to improve health literacy in Africa. This paper aims to review studies related to the contribution of mobile technologies in improving health literacy in rural areas of Africa. Methods: We performed a four-step systematic review to identify relevant publications: (1) Database selection, (2) Keyword search, (3) Study selection and (4) Data extraction. In addition, manual searching methods were used to find keywords related to m-health initiatives in Africa. Discussion: Our search resulted in the identification of 38 studies and initiatives related to health literacy and mobile technologies in Africa. However, few of these studies focused on health literacy and mobile technologies in rural areas of Africa. We also found that m-health initiatives to date have not been inclusive, with very few integrating local languages in the development of m-health solutions. Our findings thus point to various potential avenues to be investigated in the future.

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