What matters the adherence with BP 24-hr self-monitoring wearable device among hypertensive patients? A population-based survey

Wearable mobile health (mHealth) technologies are a convenient and cost-effective community-based intervention to improve management of hypertension in resource-limited populations. This study was designed to evaluate user characteristics of blood pressure (BP) wearable technology among a community-based population in a rural area of China. During the period of April through July 2018, a self-monitoring intervention program for hypertension control was implemented in a remote area of central China. Participants completed a cross-sectional survey which included demographic characteristics, Technology Fluency, the Compliance of Hypertensive Patients’ Scale, and the Health-related Quality of Life Survey. Participants were given a wearable BP-monitoring device which wirelessly uploaded data and monitored for 1 month. Participants (n = 317) were 64.57 years (SD = 11.68), 53.94% were male. During the 30-day monitoring, 52.68% of the sample uploaded BP wristband data daily were identified as “BP device users.” No differences existed between device users and nonusers related to cardiovascular health measurements, technology fluency, and health-related quality of life. Device users were more likely to report a higher level of hypertension compliance. Individuals reporting a higher level of compliance in hypertension management are more likely to interact with a wearable BP-monitoring device than persons with lower levels of compliance. Further evaluation of mobile health systems involving a wearable device as part of a hypertension management program is needed in a resource-limited community-based setting.

Abstract 09: Technology Fluency is Not a Barrier to User Adoption of a Mobile Health (mHealth) Wrist-worn Physical Activity (PA) Monitor System: Observations From the Washington, D.C. Cardiovascular (CV) Health and Needs Assessment

Background: Emerging mHealth technologies, like wrist worn PA monitors, offer potential for targeting CV health behaviors among at-risk groups in community-based interventions. It is unknown whether technology fluency impedes user adoption of such mHealth interventions. Methods: A CV health evaluation designed using community-based participatory research principles was conducted in African American, faith-based organizations in Washington D.C. wards with the highest obesity rates (NCT01927783). Participants (n=100) underwent a CV health assessment at a community church and were trained to use an mHealth PA monitor for the ensuing 30-day period. Participants wirelessly uploaded PA data weekly to a data collection hub at a participating church and accessed data online. Users were participants with ≥1 days of data; non-users had zero days of data. A validated Computer-Email-Web fluency self-report instrument captured technology fluency, with skill levels from 1 (no fluency) to 5 (high fluency). Results: Eighty-one participants were users (mean age=60, 78% female); 19 were non-users (mean age=57, 84% female). Users were more likely than non-users to report a lower household income (p=0.01). No differences were noted for computer access (94% vs 94%, p=0.2) or cell phone ownership (88% vs 89%, p=0.2). Technology fluency was similar, with all non-users and 95% of users reporting some level of technology fluency for the 17 surveyed skills (Table). Conclusions: In African-American, faith-based communities in at-risk Washington D.C. areas, lower technology fluency does not appear to impede adoption of this mHealth PA-monitoring system, despite lower socioeconomic status among users. This relationship is likely explained by similar technology access among users and non-users. These findings suggest that an mHealth PA monitoring system using a data collection hub may facilitate a future PA intervention for improved CV health in an at-risk African American community, independent of the population’s technology fluency.

A Framework for Assessing Technology-Assisted Learning Outcomes

Colleges and universities have been actively engaged in integrating technology in teaching and learning activities since the early 1990s. These activities have been as varied as the university’s missions and the clarity of their aims for technology-assisted instruction allowed. In tandem with the widespread institutional support for new computers and software many faculty invested time and energy in learning how to use the new tools in their own teaching and disciplines; other faculty went further and became agents for transforming teaching and learning within their institutions and in their professional organizations. However, worldwide global changes are happening faster than change is occurring in higher education teaching and learning curricula and the resulting learning outcomes of students. Acquiring the intellectual capabilities necessary for technology fluency and information literacy generally and in particular within content domains remains elusive. Growing calls for students to demonstrate technology fluency competencies in their disciplines and chosen professions is a pressing challenge and a necessity.

Computer Programming in Middle School: How Pairs Respond to Challenges

Many believe that girls lack the confidence and motivation to persist with computers when they face a challenge. In order to increase the number of girls and women in information technology careers, we need a better understanding of how they think about and solve problems while working on the computer. In this article, we describe a qualitative study of 126 middle school girls who designed and programmed computer games in an after-school and summer program. Using data from electronic notebooks, we describe how girls thought about the problems they had while programming their games and the strategies they used in their efforts to solve them. Audiotape transcripts were also coded to show how girls talk about challenges and the steps they take to address them when programming a game on the computer. The findings are interpreted in terms of how to promote information technology fluency starting in middle school.