scholarly journals The Rise of Pregnancy Apps and the Implications for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women: Narrative Review (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo-Anne Patricia Hughson ◽  
J Oliver Daly ◽  
Robyn Woodward-Kron ◽  
John Hajek ◽  
David Story
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Local Health

BACKGROUND Pregnancy apps are a booming global industry, with most pregnant women in high-income countries now using them. From the perspective of health care and health information provision, this is both encouraging and unsettling; the demand indicates a clear direction for the development of future resources, but it also underscores the importance of processes ensuring access, reliability, and quality control. OBJECTIVE This review provides an overview of current literature on pregnancy apps and aims at describing (1) the ways in which apps are used by women, in general, and by those of a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background; (2) the utility and quality of information provided; and (3) areas where more research, development, and oversight are needed. METHODS We chose a narrative review methodology for the study and performed a structured literature search including studies published between 2012 and 2017. Searches were performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases. Studies were identified for inclusion using two separate search criteria and strategies: (1) studies on pregnancy apps and pregnant women’s use of these apps and (2) studies on CALD pregnant women and their use of technology for accessing information on and services for pregnancy. Overall, we selected 38 studies. RESULTS We found that pregnancy apps were principally used to access pregnancy health and fetal development information. Data storage capability, Web-based features or personalized tools, and social media features were also popular app features sought by women. Lower rates of the pregnancy app uptake were indicated among lower-income and non-English-speaking women. Preliminary evidence indicates that a combination of technological, health literacy, and language issues may result in lower uptake of pregnancy apps by these groups; however, further investigation is required. A marked limitation of the health app industry is lack of regulation in a commercially dominated field, making it difficult for users to assess the reliability of the information being presented. Health professionals and users alike indicate that given the choice, they would prefer using pregnancy apps that are relevant to their local health care context and come from a trusted source. Evidence indicates a need for greater health professional and institutional engagement in the app development, as well as awareness of and guidance for women’s use of these resources. CONCLUSIONS This is the first review of pregnancy app use, types of information provided, and features preferred by pregnant women in general and by those of a CALD background in particular. It indicates the demand for access to accurate information that is relevant to users, their community, and their associated health services. Given the popularity of pregnancy apps, such apps have enormous potential to be used for the provision of accurate, evidence-based health information.

scholarly journals Digital Support for Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: Narrative Review of the Roles and Challenges of Online Forums (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Robinson ◽  
Andrew K Husband ◽  
Robert D Slight ◽  
Sarah P Slight
Keyword(s):  
Bariatric Surgery ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Care Giving

BACKGROUND The internet has become an important medium within health care, giving patients the opportunity to search for information, guidance, and support to manage their health and well-being needs. Online forums and internet-based platforms appear to have changed the way many patients undergoing bariatric surgery view and engage with their health, before and after weight loss surgery. Given that significant health improvements result from sustained weight loss, ensuring patient adherence to recommended preoperative and postoperative guidance is critical for bariatric surgery success. In a patient cohort with high information needs preoperatively, and notoriously high attrition rates postoperatively, online forums may present an underutilized method of support. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to conduct a narrative review focusing on the developing roles that online forums can play for patients with bariatric conditions preoperatively and postoperatively. METHODS A literature search was conducted in October-November 2019 across 5 electronic databases: Scopus, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and MEDLINE. Qualitative or mixed methods studies were included if they evaluated patients undergoing bariatric surgery (or bariatric surgery health care professionals) engaging with, using, or analyzing online discussion forums or social media platforms. Using thematic analysis, themes were developed from coding patterns within the data to identify the roles and challenges of online forums for patients undergoing bariatric surgery. RESULTS A total of 8 studies were included in this review, with 5 themes emerging around (1) managing expectations of a <i>new life</i>; (2) decision making and signposting; (3) supporting information seeking; (4) facilitating connectedness: peer-to-peer social and emotional support; and (5) enabling accessibility and connectivity with health care professionals. CONCLUSIONS Online forums could offer one solution to improving postoperative success by supporting and motivating patients. Future research should consider how best to design and moderate online forums for maximal effectiveness and the sharing of accurate information. The surgical multidisciplinary team may consider recommendations of online peer-support networks to complement care for patients throughout their surgical journey.

scholarly journals Using Text Messaging to Improve Access to Prenatal Health Information in Urban African American and Afro-Caribbean Immigrant Pregnant Women: Mixed Methods Analysis of Text4baby Usage

10.2196/14737 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e14737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tenya M Blackwell ◽  
LeConte J Dill ◽  
Lori A Hoepner ◽  
Laura A Geer
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
African American ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Behavioral Intent ◽  
Prenatal Health ◽  
Intent To Use ◽  
Prenatal Health Care

Background The Text4baby (T4B) mobile health (mHealth) program is acclaimed to provide pregnant women with greater access to prenatal health care, resources, and information. However, little is known about whether urban African American and Afro-Caribbean immigrant pregnant women in the United States are receptive users of innovative health communication methods or of the cultural and systematic barriers that inhibit their behavioral intent to use T4B. Objective This study aimed to understand the lived experiences of urban African American and Afro-Caribbean immigrant pregnant women with accessing quality prenatal health care and health information; to assess usage of mHealth for seeking prenatal health information; and to measure changes in participants’ knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intent to use the T4B mHealth educational intervention. Methods An exploratory sequential mixed methods study was conducted among pregnant women and clinical professionals for a phenomenological exploration with focus groups, key informants, interviews, and observations. Qualitative themes were aligned with behavioral and information technology communications theoretical constructs to develop a survey instrument used. repeated-measures pre- and post-test design to evaluate changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, of mHealth and T4B after a minimum of 4 weeks’ exposure to the text message–based intervention. Triangulation and mixing of both qualitative and quantitative data occurred primarily during the survey development and also during final analysis. Results A total of 9 women participated in phase 1, and 49 patients signed up for T4B and completed a 31-item survey at baseline and again during follow-up. Three themes were identified: (1) patient-provider engagement, (2) social support, and (3) acculturation. With time as a barrier to quality care, inadequate patient-provider engagement left participants feeling indifferent about the prenatal care and information they received in the clinical setting. Of 49 survey participants, 63% (31/49) strongly agreed that T4B would provide them with extra support during their pregnancy. On a Likert scale of 1 to 5, participants’ perception of the usefulness of T4B ranked at 4.26, and their perception of the compatibility and relative advantage of using T4B ranked at 4.41 and 4.15, respectively. At follow-up, there was a 14% increase in participants reporting their intent to use T4B and a 28% increase from pretest and posttest in pregnant women strongly agreeing to speak more with their doctor about the information learned through T4B. Conclusions Urban African American and Afro-Caribbean immigrant pregnant women in Brooklyn endure a number of social and ecological determinants like low health literacy, income, and language that serve as barriers to accessing quality prenatal health care and information, which negatively impacts prenatal health behaviors and outcomes. Our study indicates a number of systematic, political, and other microsystem-level factors that perpetuate health inequities in our study population.

Conducting Health Literacy Research on Hard-to-Reach Regional Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations: An Evaluation of Recruitment and Retention Methods Before and During COVID-19 (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Perrins ◽  
Tabassum Ferdous ◽  
Dawn Hay ◽  
Bobby Harreveld ◽  
Kerry Reid-Searl
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Initial Data ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Collection Phase

BACKGROUND Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) health care consumers residing within Australia are recognized as having low health literacy, leading to increased hospitalizations and poorer health outcomes. CALD populations living within regional Australia have been identified as a disadvantaged group. To understand and address this disadvantage, region-specific studies are required to map healthcare barriers related to geographic location, specific health services, and societal makeup. Despite the need to research the relationship between cultural and linguistic diversity and health literacy, CALD participants are often cited as hard-to-reach or hidden. This paper evaluates the approach used by researchers to attract and retain hard-to-reach CALD research participants for a study investigating health communication barriers between CALD health care users and health care professionals. As this study was taking place in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions emerged. Thus, recruitment and retention methods were adapted. This evaluation considers the effectiveness of recruitment and data collection methods used throughout pre-COVID and during-COVID periods. OBJECTIVE This evaluation sought to determine the effectiveness of recruitment and retention efforts of researchers, during a study which targeted regional-dwelling, hard-to-reach CALD participants. METHODS In this paper, recruitment and retention methods have been categorized into five phases: recruitment, pre-intervention data collection, intervention, post-intervention data collection and interviews. To compare the methods used by researchers, recruitment and retention rates have been dissected into pre-COVID and during-COVID periods. Researchers thereafter provide an in-depth reflection of the methods employed within this study. RESULTS This paper provides results relating to participant recruitment and retainment over the course of five research phases which occurred pre- and during-COVID. During the pre-COVID recruitment phase 22 participants were recruited. Of those, 68.2% of participants transitioned to the next phase and completed the initial data collection phase. By contrast, 18 participants completed the during-COVID recruitment phase, with a 72.2% continuance rate. The success rate of the intervention phase in the pre-COVID period was 93.3% versus 84.6% during-COVID. Lastly, 92.9% of participants completed the post-intervention data collection phase pre-COVID, compared with 90.9% during-COVID. Against the intended 30 participants, 40 participants took part in the initial data collection phase, with 23 going on to complete the project in its entirety. CONCLUSIONS The success of this program in recruiting and maintaining hard-to-reach CALD populations was preserved over pre and during-COVID periods. The emergence of COVID during the study period forced researchers to adjust study methods, thereby inadvertently contributing to the recruitment and retention success of the project. The maintenance of participants during this period is also due to flexibility offered by the research program through adoptive methods, such as the use of cultural gatekeepers, increased visibility of CALD researchers, limitation of intervention group size, use of digital platforms and more.

scholarly journals The Rise of Pregnancy Apps and the Implications for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women: Narrative Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. e189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo-anne Patricia Hughson ◽  
J Oliver Daly ◽  
Robyn Woodward-Kron ◽  
John Hajek ◽  
David Story
Keyword(s):  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse
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