scholarly journals Mobile Phone Access and Preferences Among Medical Inpatients at an Urban Canadian Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam AboMoslim ◽  
Niloufar Ghaseminejad-Tafreshi ◽  
Abdulaa Babili ◽  
Samia El Joueidi ◽  
John A Staples ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Medical Ward ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Medical Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Phone Access

Abstract Background: Digital health interventions are increasingly used for patient care, yet little data is available on the phone access type and usage preferences of medical ward patients to inform the most appropriate digital interventions.Methods: To learn about mobile phone ownership, internet access, and cellular use preferences among medical patients, we conducted a researcher-administered survey of patients admitted to five internal medicine units at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) in January 2020.Results: A total of 81 ward patients completed the questionnaire from the two survey dates. Of those, 63.0% owned their own mobile phone, an additional 22.2% had access to a mobile phone via a proxy (or an authorized third-party) such as a family member, and 14.8% did not own or have access to a mobile phone. All participants with mobile phone access had cellular plans (i.e., phone and text) ; however, a quarter of respondents did not have data plans with internet. 71.1% of men owned a mobile phone compared to only 52.8% of women. All participants at a ‘high’ risk of readmission had access to a mobile phone, either as phone-owners or proxy-dependent users.Conclusion: Access to mobile phones among medical ward patients was high, but incomplete. More patients had cellular than data plans (i.e., internet and applications). Understanding patient-specific access is key to informing potential uptake of digital health interventions aimed at using patients’ mobile phones (mHealth) from an effectiveness and equity lens.

scholarly journals Patterns of Mobile Phone Ownership and Use Among Pregnant Women in Southern Tanzania: Cross-Sectional Survey

10.2196/17122 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. e17122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lavanya Vasudevan ◽  
Jan Ostermann ◽  
Sara Marwerwe Moses ◽  
Esther Ngadaya ◽  
Sayoki Godfrey Mfinanga
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Phone Calls

Background There is a paucity of subnational data on patterns of mobile phone ownership and use in Tanzania to inform the development of digital health interventions. Objective The aim of this study is to assess patterns of mobile phone ownership and use in pregnant women to inform the feasibility and design of digital health interventions for promoting timely uptake of childhood vaccines in southern Tanzania. Methods Between August and November 2017, pregnant women in their third trimester were enrolled at health facilities and from surrounding communities, and asked about their patterns of mobile phone ownership and use in an interviewer administered survey. Results Of 406 women, only 3 had never used a phone. Most women (>98%) could make and receive phone calls. Compared to urban women, rural women reported higher mobile phone use rates but were less likely to be sole owners of phones, and less likely to send or receive SMS, transact money, browse the internet, or use social media via mobile phones. Conclusions The findings suggest high feasibility for digital health interventions delivered via mobile phones to pregnant women in southern Tanzania. The feasibility of smartphone-based interventions or strategies relying on the use of social media or the internet is limited.

What does it mean for a woman to have access to a phone in India? Implications for the development of mHealth interventions for maternal health (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchita S. Pendse ◽  
Alison M. El Ayadi ◽  
Preetika Sharma ◽  
Alka Ahuja ◽  
Darshan Hosapatna Basavarajappa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Postpartum Care ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽  
Phone Access

BACKGROUND As mobile phone uptake in India continues to grow, there is continued interest in mobile platform-based interventions for health education among other topics. Existing studies demonstrate a significant gender gap in mobile phone access, and suggest women’s access to mobile phones is constrained by economic and diverse social barriers. Pregnancy and postpartum care is one of many targets for mobile health (mHealth) interventions which particularly rely on women’s access to and facility with mobile phone use. OBJECTIVE This paper describes dynamics and patterns of women’s mobile phone access and use among both phone owners and non-owners, including potential barriers to mHealth participation. METHODS Mixed-methods data were obtained from two different surveys (n=102 and n=29), two sets of in-depth interviews (n=20 and 29), and weekly data collection obtained in preparation for or within the pilot of an mHealth postpartum care intervention in rural Punjab in July 2020-February 2021. RESULTS A majority of women owned their own phone, though about half (52%) of phone owners still reported sharing their phone with other family members. Sharing a phone with female family members typically allowed for better access than sharing with male family members. Some households have strict preferences against daughters-in-law having phones, or otherwise significantly restrict or control women’s phone access. Others reported concerns about phone use-related health hazards during pregnancy or postpartum for mother and infant. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest significant variability and nuance to what is meant by women’s phone ownership and access given the numerous additional constraints on their use of phones, particularly during pregnancy and postpartum. Future research and mHealth interventions should probe these domains to better understand these dynamics governing women’s access, use, and fluency with mobile phones to optimally design mHealth interventions. mHealth, mobile health, digital health, India, pregnancy, pregnant women, postpartum, postpartum care INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/preprints.34087

scholarly journals Mobile phone access and implications for digital health interventions among adolescents and young people in Zimbabwe: A cross-sectional survey (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aoife Doyle ◽  
Tsitsi Bandason ◽  
Ethel Dauya ◽  
Grace McHugh ◽  
Chris Grundy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Service Engagement

BACKGROUND Mobile phones may help young people (YP) access health information and support health service engagement. However, in low-income settings there is limited knowledge on YP’s phone and internet access to inform the feasibility of implementing digital health interventions. OBJECTIVE We investigated YP’s access to technology to inform the development of mobile interventions for HIV self-testing and mental health counselling within a trial of community-based health interventions for YP (CHIEDZA) in Zimbabwe. METHODS A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted from October to December 2018 among YP aged 13-24 years in five CHIEDZA communities in urban and peri-urban Harare and Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe. Consenting YP completed a short self-completed tablet-based questionnaire on mobile phone ownership and use, and use of the internet. The primary outcome was the proportion who reported owning a mobile phone. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with mobile phone ownership and with internet access, with adjustment for the one-stage cluster sampling design. A priori exploratory variables were age, sex, marital status, and urban/peri-urban residence. RESULTS A total of 634/719 (88.2%) eligible YP, mean age 18.0 years (SD 3.3) and 62.6% female, participated. Of the YP interviewed, 62.6% (95%CI 58.5, 66.5) reported owning a phone and a further 4.3% reported having access to a shared phone. Phone ownership increased with age: 27.0% of 13-15-year olds, 61.0% of 16-17-year olds, 71.5% of 18-19 year olds and 84.7% of 20-24 year olds (OR 1.4 (1.3, 1.5) per year increase). Ownership was similar among females and males (61.2% (95%CI 55.8, 66.3) vs. 64.8% (95%CI 57.8, 71.2); age-adjusted OR 0.7 (0.5, 1.1)), and similar across other socio-demographic factors. YP reported that 85.3% of phones, either owned or shared, were smartphones. The most commonly used phone application was WhatsApp (71%), and 16.4% of phone owners reported having ever used their phone to track their health. A total of 407/631 (64.5% (95%CI 60.3, 68.5)) currently had access to the internet (used in last 3 months on any device) with access increasing with age (OR 1.2 (1.2, 1.3) per year increase). In age adjusted analysis, internet access was higher among males, the unmarried, those with a higher level of education, phone owners, and those who had lived in the community for more than one year. The aspect of the Internet that YP most disliked was unwanted sexual (27%) and violent (13%) content. CONCLUSIONS Mobile phone-based interventions may be feasible in this population; however, such interventions could increase inequity especially if they require access to the internet. Internet-based interventions should consider potential risks for participants and incorporate skill-building on safe internet and phone use.

Mobile Phone Dependency and Effect on the Academic Lifestyle of Female Students at a University: A Case Study of a University of Technology

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephat Muntangadura ◽  
Barbra Mazarire
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mobile Phone Use ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Mobile Phone Usage

Mobile phones are now being used by all members of society, men, women and the children. When members of society use them it affects their lives, thus the research is interested in exploring how mobile phone usage affects the lifestyles of female university students. The study explored the dependency and effect of mobile phone usage among female students at a university of technology. A cross-sectional survey was carried at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Soshanguve South campus. The study focused on the following objectives: exploring the classification of female university students who own cell phones, establishing the general phenomena influencing the use of mobile phones by female university students at a university of technology and perceived gratification and finally establishing the patterns of mobile phone use by female students and the lifestyle patterns generated thereafter. The study collected data from 100 female students at the institution using a survey. The findings indicated that the main reasons female university students at TUT use a mobile phone are for socialising, sharing academic work and solutions as well as for safety and privacy purposes. The major reason for choice of brand was seen to be usability and price. The respondents showed some signs of addiction to their mobile phones. The findings of this study are beneficial to marketers of mobile phones in Pretoria and the rest of the country; it is also useful to mobile phone developers, universities, parents, and researchers exploring mobile phone adoption and usage pattern in a developing country such as South Africa.

scholarly journals Does women’s mobile phone ownership matter for health? Evidence from 15 countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. e002524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amnesty E LeFevre ◽  
Neha Shah ◽  
Jean Juste Harrisson Bashingwa ◽  
Asha S George ◽  
Diwakar Mohan
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Income Status ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Patient Provider Communication

Mobile phones have the potential to increase access to health information, improve patient–provider communication, and influence the content and quality of health services received. Evidence on the gender gap in ownership of mobile phones is limited, and efforts to link phone ownership among women to care-seeking and practices for reproductive maternal newborn and child health (RMNCH) have yet to be made. This analysis aims to assess household and women’s access to phones and its effects on RMNCH health outcomes in 15 countries for which Demographic and Health Surveys data on phone ownership are available. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to explore factors associated with women’s phone ownership, along with the association of phone ownership to a wide range of RMNCH indicators. Study findings suggest that (1) gender gaps in mobile phone ownership vary, but they can be substantial, with less than half of women owning mobile phones in several countries; (2) the gender gap in phone ownership is larger for rural and poorer women; (3) women’s phone ownership is generally associated with better RMNCH indicators; (4) among women phone owners, utilisation of RMNCH care-seeking and practices differs based on their income status; and (5) more could be done to unleash the potential of mobile phones on women’s health if data gaps and varied metrics are addressed. Findings reinforce the notion that without addressing the gender gap in phone ownership, digital health programmes may be at risk of worsening existing health inequities.

scholarly journals Usage of mobile phones among flood victims in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Aini Maznina A.Manaf ◽  
Tengku Siti Aisha Tengku Azzman ◽  
Saodah Wok
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Uses And Gratifications ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mobile Phone Use ◽  
Flood Disasters ◽  
Close Family

One of the worst ever flood disasters in Malaysian history that occurred in December 2014 has caused a lot of damage including to lives, houses and material possessions. Large parts of the country mainly in the East Coast area consisting of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang have been badly affected. This study was conducted to explore the use of the mobile phone during the 2014 Malaysian flood. A cross-sectional survey with a total number of 507 respondents who live in the flood affected areas was conducted to examine the use and satisfaction obtained from the usage of the mobile phone. Being active users of the mobile phone, flood victims mainly used it to obtain information about the flood situation in their community and to communicate with close family members. Furthermore, mobile phones were used to gratify social, entertainment, and mobility needs. Findings of the study will have implications on uses and gratifications, mobile phone use and natural disasters

scholarly journals Frequency of wrist pain and its associated risk factors in students using mobile phones

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima Amjad ◽  
Muhammad Nazim Farooq ◽  
Rubia Batool ◽  
Anam Irshad
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Wrist Joint ◽  
Wrist Pain ◽  
Screen Size ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mobile Phone Usage ◽  
Associated Risk Factors

Objective: To assess the frequency of wrist pain in students due to mobile phone usage, and impact of usage hours and screen size of mobile phones on pain and disability at wrist joint. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among students studying in different universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi belonging to both public and private sectors. The study was conducted between May 2018 and March 2019. Sample size was 360 students which were selected through convenience sampling. Data was collected through self-formulated closed ended questionnaire. Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation questionnaire was used to assess pain and disability at wrist joint. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS 21. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Spearman’s and point-biserial correlation coefficients were applied to determine association between different variables. Results: Point, last month, last 3 months, last 6 months, last year and lifetime frequency were found to be 9%, 18.6%, 29%, 33.3%, 42% and 45.3% respectively. Duration of mobile phone usage was found to be of significant association factor that could lead to wrist pain and disability (p=0.004). Wrist pain was not significantly related to mobile phone screen size (p = 0.488). Conclusion: It appears that wrist pain is common among mobile phone users and an increase in use of mobile phones increased pain and disability of wrist joint. In addition, it seems that screen size of mobile phone has no significant effect on pain and disability of wrist joint. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.1797 How to cite this:Amjad F, Farooq MN, Batool R, Irshad A. Frequency of wrist pain and its associated risk factors in students using mobile phones. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.1797 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

scholarly journals A STUDY OF IMPACT OF EXCESSIVE USE OF MOBILE PHONES ON EYE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Kshama Pandey ◽  
Aditya Tripathi
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: This study was designed to determine the impact of increased screen time during covid-19 pandemic for online classes. Methodology : A cross sectional survey on 200 students from different schools and colleges was designed to find changes in eye condition due to increased screen time using a validate questionaire. Result: A comparison of statistical analysis on 200 students reveals that near about 70% students are dependent on mobile phone for online classes whereas 30% students use other electronic gadgets. The screen time of students have been increased 4 times in this pandemic due to which students experiences asthenopic symptoms. Conclusion: The increased screen timing tends to appearance of asthenopic symptoms and eye strain in maximum students along with decrease in concentration. It suggest that before conducting online class students should be trained about the right way of taking online classes so that it's adverse effects can be reduced .

Understanding Lay Counselor Perspectives on Mobile Phone Supervision in Kenya: A Mixed Method Human-Centered Design Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah S Triplett
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Average Frequency ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Human Centered Design ◽  
Lay Counselors ◽  
Personal Support

Introduction: Mobile phones may present a low-tech opportunity to replace or decrease reliance on in-person supervision in task-shifting, but important technical and contextual limitations must be examined and considered. Guided by human-centered design methods, we aimed to understand how mobile phones are currently used when supervising lay counselors, determine the acceptability and feasibility of mobile phone supervision, and generate solutions to improve mobile phone supervision.Methods: Participants were recruited from a large hybrid effectiveness-implementation study in western Kenya, wherein teachers and community health volunteers have been trained to provide trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Lay counselors (N=24) and supervisors (N=3) participated in semi-structured interviews in the language of the participants choosing (i.e., English or Kiswahili). The participants included high frequency, average frequency, and low frequency phone users in equal parts. Interviews were transcribed, translated when needed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes were compared across frequency of phone use following a mixed methods data transformation and integration approach. Results: Uses included: clinical updates, scheduling and coordinating, and supporting research procedures. Participants liked how mobile phones decreased burden, facilitated access to clinical and personal support, and enabled greater independence of lay counselors. Participants disliked how mobile phones limited information transmission, limited relationship building between supervisors and lay counselors, and disrupted communication flows. Mobile phone supervision was facilitated by access to working smartphones, ease and convenience of mobile phone supervision, mobile phone literacy, and positive supervisor-counselor relationships. Limited resources, technical difficulties, communication challenges, and limitations on which activities can effectively be performed via mobile phones were barriers to mobile phone supervision. Lay counselors and supervisors generated 27 distinct solutions to increase the acceptability and feasibility of mobile phone supervision. Differences emerged in specific themes pertaining to acceptability and feasibility by frequency of use.Conclusion: While mobile phone supervision was acceptable to both lay counselors and supervisors, there were also distinct challenges with feasibility. Researchers considering how digital technology can be used to increase mental and digital health equity must consider limitations to implementing digital health tools and design solutions alongside end-users to increase acceptability and feasibility.

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