Perceptions and Attitudes Toward the Use of a Mobile Health App for Remote Monitoring of Gingivitis and Willingness to Pay for Mobile Health Apps (Part 3): Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Background Gum infection, known as gingivitis, is a global issue. Gingivitis does not cause pain; however, if left untreated, it can worsen, leading to bad breath, bleeding gums, and even tooth loss, as the problem spreads to the underlying structures anchoring the teeth in the jaws. The asymptomatic nature of gingivitis leads people to postpone dental appointments until clinical signs are obvious or pain is evident. The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated social distancing, which has caused many people to postpone dental visits and neglect gingival health. iGAM is a dental mobile health (mHealth) app that remotely monitors gum health, and an observational study demonstrated the ability of iGAM to reduce gingivitis. We found that a weekly dental selfie using the iGAM app reduced the signs of gingivitis and promoted oral health in a home-based setting. Objective The aim of this mixed methods study is to assess perceptions, attitudes, willingness to pay, and willingness to use an mHealth app. Methods The first qualitative phase of the study included eight semistructured interviews, and the second quantitative phase included data collected from responses to 121 questionnaires. Results There was a consensus among all interviewees that apps dealing with health-related issues (mHealth apps) can improve health. Three themes emerged from the interviews: the iGAM app is capable of improving health, the lack of use of medical apps, and a contradiction between the objective state of health and the self-definition of being healthy. Participants were grouped according to how they responded to the question about whether they believed that mHealth apps could improve their health. Participants who believed that mHealth apps can enhance health (mean 1.96, SD 1.01) had a higher willingness to pay for the service (depending on price) than those who did not believe in app efficacy (mean 1.31, SD 0.87; t119=−2417; P=.02). A significant positive correlation was found between the amount a participant was willing to pay and the benefits offered by the app (rs=0.185; P=.04). Conclusions Potential mHealth users will be willing to pay for app use depending on their perception of the app’s ability to help them personally, provided they define themselves as currently unhealthy.

Willingness of diabetes mellitus patients to use mHealth applications and its associated factors for self-care management in a low-income country: an input for digital health implementation

“…Patients who had a favourable attitude towards mobile health applications to manage DM were 5.20 times more likely to be willing to use mobile health applications (AOR 5.20; 95% CI 2.60 to 10.40). This finding is consistent with the findings of other studies 26 27. This demonstrates how patients’ attitudes towards mobile health technologies influence their willingness to use them positively.…”

Willingness to pay for health apps, its sociodemographic correlates, and reasons for being unwilling to pay

“…Another possible explanation is that individuals with higher education levels tend to have a higher level of health literacy, 25 which may facilitate their use of health apps and allow them to understand the benefits that health apps can offer. 26 We further infer from this finding that due to their intricacy, the use of certain health apps may be challenging for individuals with a lower level of educational attainment or health literacy. It is therefore crucial for developers to make health apps more accessible and user-friendly by prioritizing intuitive design in their health apps; this can be done by integrating concise instructions and optimizing the user interface design.…”

The willingness and attitudes of speech-language pathologists towards the use of mobile health technology: a survey study

“…On the other hand, the willingness of patients to pay for these services should also be considered. A study in this field concluded that patients are willing to pay if the mHealth technology is beneficial for them and improves their health [ 18 ].…”