College student veterans' experience with a mindfulness- and acceptance-based mobile app intervention for PTSD: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND Adults with type 1 diabetes (PWDs) face challenging self-management regimens including monitoring their glucose values multiple times a day to assist with achieving glycemic targets and reduce the risk of long-term diabetes complications. Recent advances in diabetes technology have reportedly improved glycemia, but little is known about how PWDs utilize mobile technology to make positive changes in their diabetes self-management. OBJECTIVE The aim of this qualitative study was to explore PWDs’ experiences using Sugar Sleuth, a glucose sensor–based mobile app and Web-based reporting system, integrated with the FreeStyle Libre glucose monitor that provides feedback about glycemic variability. METHODS We used a qualitative descriptive research design and conducted semistructured interviews with 10 PWDs (baseline mean glycated hemoglobin, HbA1c) 8.0%, (SD 0.45); 6 males and 4 females, aged 52 years (SD 15), type 1 diabetes (T1D) duration 31 years (SD 13), 40% (4/10, insulin pump) following a 14-week intervention during which they received clinical support and used Sugar Sleuth to evaluate and understand their glucose data. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis and NVivo 11 (QSR International Pty Ltd). RESULTS A total of 4 main themes emerged from the data. Participants perceived Sugar Sleuth as an Empowering Tool that served to inform lifestyle choices and diabetes self-management tasks, promoted preemptive self-care actions, and improved discussions with clinicians. They also described Sugar Sleuth as providing a Source of Psychosocial Support and offering relief from worry, reducing glycemic uncertainty, and supporting positive feelings about everyday life with diabetes. Participants varied in their Approaches to Glycemic Data: 40% (4/10) described using Sugar Sleuth to review data, understand glycemic cause and effect, and plan for future self-care. On the contrary, 60% (6/10) were reluctant to review past data; they described receiving benefits from the immediate numbers and trend arrows, but the app still prompted them to enter in the suspected causes of glucose excursions within hours of their occurrence. Finally, only 2 participants voiced Concerns About Use of Sugar Sleuth; they perceived the app as sometimes too demanding of information or as not attuned to the socioeconomic backgrounds of PWDs from diverse populations. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that Sugar Sleuth can be an effective educational tool to enhance both patient-clinician collaboration and diabetes self-management. Findings also highlight the importance of exploring psychosocial and socioeconomic factors that may advance the understanding of PWDs’ individual differences when using glycemic technology and may promote the development of customized mobile tools to improve diabetes self-management.

Download Full-text

User-Centered Design of a Mobile App for Weight and Health Management in Adolescents With Complex Health Needs: Qualitative Study

10.2196/preprints.8248.a ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jordan Rivera ◽

Amy C McPherson ◽

Jill Hamilton ◽

Catherine Birken ◽

Michael Coons ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Health Management ◽

Mobile App ◽

Health Needs ◽

User Centered Design ◽

User Centered

Download Full-text

Use of questioning strategy to facilitate students’ reading comprehension in Taiwan

Journal on English as a Foreign Language ◽

10.23971/jefl.v9i2.1375 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 217-230

Author(s):

Ike Irawati

Keyword(s):

College Student ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Language Proficiency ◽

Strategy Instruction ◽

Reading Performance ◽

Instructional Materials ◽

Miscue Analysis ◽

Proficiency Level ◽

Post Test ◽

Studio Classroom

This study investigates individual differences arising from strategy instruction, questioning strategy, based on the problems found through miscue analysis. This qualitative study also investigates students’ motivation toward the strategy taught. The participants were a college student in Taiwan, consisted of one high-achieving student and one low-achieving student. Both were on the same language proficiency level (level C). They were asked to complete miscue pre and post-test and took eight meetings of tutorials (four meetings for teacher-generated questions and four meetings for student-generated questions). An interview was also conducted to find out their motivation toward the strategy. The instructional materials were taken from an English magazine specially designed for Taiwanese, called Studio Classroom. Results indicated that the strategy did not work well in both students as their motivation interfered their reading performance. This study concludes that the strategy works better in higher motivation student. Since motivation affects students' reading performance, therefore, this study suggests that raising students' motivation in the teaching process is crucial to reach better reading performance.

Download Full-text

Design and Development of a Mobile App Framework to Facilitate Breast Cancer-Preventive Behaviors (m-BCPB) in the At-Risk Women: Qualitative Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-30151/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Parvaneh Taymoori ◽

Maryam Khazaee-Pool ◽

Tahereh Pashaei ◽

Koen Ponnet

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

At Risk ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Literature Review ◽

Mobile App ◽

Preventive Behaviors ◽

Extended Action ◽

Regulation Model ◽

App Design ◽

User Centered

Abstract Background Smartphone apps are becoming a gradually universal template for an offering of preventive behavior interventions among women who are at risk of getting breast cancer. Although, only limited methodological procedures on mixing model, document, and qualitative study for their developments are presented. Thus, this study was aimed to design and develop a model-based, document-driven, and user-centered mobile app framework to facilitate breast cancer preventive behaviors targeting at-risk women. Methods The present study explains how intervention progress may be enriched with a theoretic foundation, literature review, and qualitative research. A semi-structural individual interview and focus group dissection (FGD) were accomplished to combine the user’s participation in the development. Participants were employed using a purposing sampling method. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded by applying the software MAXQDA. The thematic analysis method was employed for developing themes and sub-themes. Results The ASSISTS model, self-regulation model, and the self-control model were chosen to design the app framework. Data from the literature review presented the most influential document for the designing of the programs. Nineteen women were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview and FGDs. The following five main themes revealed: content, interactive performance, template, extended action and output, and motivational nature. Mobile apps are a useful tool for learning self-care tips, suitable and healthy lifestyles, and stress management, due to their user-friendly and easy feature. The mobile app framework that developed in the present study includes culture-appropriate, user-centered, and reliable content. The mobile app design should include beautiful, visualized features, and interactive multimedia. Conclusions By applying three phases way combining a model basis, the document from the literature review, and qualitative study from the target group can be held as a pattern for the prospective app design.

Download Full-text