Background: Following the US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, there is evidence of limitations in access to safe abortion care. Artificially intelligent (AI)-enabled conversational chatbots are becoming an appealing option to support access to care, but generative AI systems can misinform and hallucinate and risk reinforcing problematic bias and stigma related to sexual and reproductive healthcare.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite the growing availability of smoking cessation apps, low engagement and cessation rates have remained a significant challenge. To address this issue, we used a user-centered design to iteratively develop a mobile app (MO) to provide comprehensive, tailored, and evidence-based content to support smokers in their quitting journey.
Objective: This study examined the acceptability, use, and preliminary efficacy of the MO app for smoking cessation.
BMC Palliat Care
October 2024
Background: Although older adults with heart failure (HF) and multiple chronic conditions (MCC) frequently rely on caregivers for health management, digital health systems, such as patient portals and mobile apps, are designed for individual patients and often exclude caregivers. There is a need to develop approaches that integrate caregivers into care. This study tested the feasibility of the Social Convoy Palliative Care intervention (Convoy-Pal), a 12-week digital self-management program that includes assessment tools and resources for clinical palliative care, designed for both patients and their caregivers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOver the past quarter-century, mobile health (mHealth) technologies have experienced significant changes in adoption rates, adaptation strategies, and instances of abandonment. Understanding the underlying factors driving these trends is essential for optimizing the design, implementation, and sustainability of interventions using these technologies. The evolution of mHealth adoption has followed a progressive trajectory, starting with cautious exploration and later accelerating due to technological advancements, increased smartphone penetration, and growing acceptance of digital health solutions by both health care providers and patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: While the advantages of using the internet and social media for research recruitment are well documented, the evolving online environment also enhances motivations for misrepresentation to receive incentives or to "troll" research studies. Such fraudulent assaults can compromise data integrity, with substantial losses in project time; money; and especially for vulnerable populations, research trust. With the rapid advent of new technology and ever-evolving social media platforms, it has become easier for misrepresentation to occur within online data collection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Postpartum women with overweight/obesity and a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes are at elevated risk for cardiometabolic disease. Postpartum weight loss and lifestyle changes can decrease these risks, yet traditional face-to-face interventions often fail. We adapted the Diabetes Prevention Program into a theory-based mobile health (mHealth) program called Fit After Baby (FAB) and tested FAB in a randomized controlled trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNative WYSE CHOICES adapted an Alcohol Exposed Pregnancy (AEP) prevention curriculum for mobile health delivery for young urban American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women. This qualitative study explored the relevance of culture in adapting a health intervention with a national sample of urban AIAN youth. In total, the team conducted 29 interviews across three iterative rounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFifty-one 18-22-year-old Ugandans took part in asynchronous online discussions about sexual decision-making. To increase generalizability and variability of experience, youth were recruited across the country using social media advertising. Participants were stratified into 8 groups by sex and sexual experience (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) result in lifelong disability and are a leading cause of preventable birth defects in the US, including for American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIANs). Prevention of alcohol exposed pregnancies (AEPs), which can cause FASD, is typically aimed at adult women who are risky drinkers and have unprotected sex. Among AIANs, AEP prevention research has been primarily conducted in reservation communities, even though over 70% of AIANs live in urban areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe conducted a multi-center pragmatic trial of a low-risk intervention focused on medication adherence using an opt-out consent approach, where patients could opt out by letter and then electronically. We focus on the cohort after opt-out by mail. Here, we describe that 8% of patients opted out electronically, resulting in a 92% participation rate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Our goal is to establish the feasibility of using an artificially intelligent chatbot in diverse healthcare settings to promote COVID-19 vaccination.
Methods: We designed an artificially intelligent chatbot deployed via short message services and web-based platforms. Guided by communication theories, we developed persuasive messages to respond to users' COVID-19-related questions and encourage vaccination.
Background: Mobile applications (apps) exist to promote early child development; however, few studies have examined use of these apps among low-income families. Our objectives were to measure engagement with the Engage, Develop, Learn (EDL) app and determine if it promoted engagement and behavior change among low-income caregivers.
Methods: We conducted a pilot study among English and Spanish-speaking, low-income families with children ages 12 to 15 months who received either the EDL app or injury prevention text messages.
Background: Heart failure is a leading cause of death among older adults. Digital health can increase access to and awareness of palliative care for patients with advanced heart failure and their caregivers. However, few palliative care digital interventions target heart failure or patients' caregivers, family, and friends, termed here as the social convoy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: New mothers experience BF challenges but have limited evidence-based technology-enabled support.
Objectives: 1) Determine if using the Mother's Milk Messaging™ app improved aspects of breastfeeding and breastfeeding rates and 2) Describe engagement as well as themes from the qualitative feedback on the app.
Method: Randomized Controlled Trial National sample of primiparous, singleton mothers recruited online and then randomized using stratification by language into three arms: 1) BF text messages plus app; 2) BF text messages, app and physician-moderated private Facebook (FB) group; 3) Attention control group who received injury prevention texts.
To inform health communication campaigns for COVID-19 prevention and vaccine promotion among racial and ethnic minorities facing disparities, we conducted formative research by interviewing Hispanic/Latino American (Latino), Black/African American (AA), and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) participants to explore their challenges during the pandemic, the barriers and facilitators to receiving COVID-19 vaccines, acceptability of using chatbots to deliver COVID-19 and vaccine information, and preferred features and suggestions for culturally tailored prevention messages. Positive perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine were mainly derived from beliefs that the vaccine can protect oneself and families from getting infected and help stop the pandemic. Negative perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine were driven by concerns about vaccine safety due to the rapid development process and side effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Management of chronic recurrent medical conditions (CRMCs), such as migraine headaches, chronic pain, and anxiety/depression, remains a major challenge for modern providers. Our team has developed an edge-based, semiautomated mobile health (mHealth) technology called iMTracker that employs the N-of-1 trial approach to allow self-management of CRMCs.
Objective: This study examines the patterns of adoption, identifies CRMCs that users selected for self-application, and explores barriers to use of the iMTracker app.
Objective: Evidence backing the effectiveness of mobile health technology is growing, and behavior change communication applications (apps) are fast becoming a useful platform for behavioral health programs. However, data to support the cost-effectiveness of these interventions are limited. Suggestions for overcoming the low output of economic data include addressing the methodological challenges for conducting cost-effectiveness analysis of behavior change app programs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Vaccine-preventable infections result in significant morbidity, mortality, and costs in pediatric transplant recipients. However, at the time of transplant, less than 20% of children are up-to-date for age-appropriate immunizations that could prevent these diseases. Smartphone apps have the potential to increase immunization rates through their ability to provide vaccine education, send vaccine reminders, and facilitate communication between parents and a multidisciplinary medical group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdolescence is a critical period for reducing skin cancer risks, yet the development of effective interventions for middle and high school youth has lagged behind those for younger children. We developed and implemented the "Youth Engaged Strategies for Changing Adolescent Norms!" (YESCAN!) program, a school-based peer leader program that uses a youth-researcher partnership approach and a project-based curriculum to support high school students in developing and delivering short narrative videos and related material about skin cancer prevention to middle school students. Participating middle and high school students completed pre- and post-program surveys assessing skin cancer attitudes, perceived norms, and behavioral intentions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Academic-industry collaborations (AICs) are endorsed to alleviate challenges in digital health, but partnership experiences remain understudied. The qualitative study's objective investigated collaboration experiences between academic institutions and digital health companies.
Methods: A phenomenology methodology captured experiences of AICs, eliciting perspectives from academic researchers and industry affiliates (e.
Digital health remains a growing and challenging niche in public health practice. Academic-industry collaboration (AIC) offers a mechanism to bring disparate sectors together to alleviate digital health challenges of engagement, reach, sustainability, dissemination, evaluation, and equity. Despite the ongoing endorsements for AIC in digital health, limited understanding exists of successful AIC exists.
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