MHealth

This study investigates the prevalence of mobile health and behavior tracking (mHBT) among a large and diverse sample of cancer survivors in the United States focusing on different mHBT adoption based on socio-demographic factors. Data was drawn from the 2020 to 2021 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), which over-sampled cancer survivors from three cancer registries. Data analyses revealed that out of 1,234 cancer survivors studied, 39% had adopted mHBT, with 52% of these users engaging in daily tracking...

BACKGROUND: Gamification represents a promising approach for facilitating positive social interactions among groups of individuals and is increasingly being leveraged in physical activity (PA) interventions to promote enhanced intervention engagement and PA outcomes. Although African American (AA) adults experience disparities associated with health conditions that can be ameliorated with increased PA, little is known about how best to culturally target PA gamification strategies for this population...

BACKGROUND: Currently, smart devices can prevent diseases by continuously collecting user information and providing health-related feedback. Smart devices big data provide personalized, faster, and more accurate health care. By examining existing studies, we suggest a new healthcare evolution and health promotion through information technology (IT) convergence. A big data systematic review examined the evolution of new health care and their potential for health promotion by monitoring physical activities, preventing diseases, and analyzing health data smart devices...

Diabetes is one of the leading non-communicable diseases globally, adversely impacting an individual's quality of life and adding a considerable burden to the healthcare systems. The necessity for frequent blood glucose (BG) monitoring and the inconveniences associated with self-monitoring of BG, such as pain and discomfort, has motivated the development of non-invasive BG approaches. However, the current research progress is slow, and only a few BG self-monitoring devices have made considerable progress. Hence, we evaluate the available non-invasive glucose monitoring technologies validated against BG recordings to provide future research direction to design, develop, and deploy self-monitoring of BG with integrated emerging technologies...

BACKGROUND: The overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 has many implications for American women of reproductive age, as well as for researchers focused on women's health in the United States (U.S.). Personal reproductive health data, such as information collected by menstrual cycle (MC) tracking applications (apps), can now be bought, sold, or accessed by law enforcement to enforce limits on abortion. American women have grown concerned about data privacy and have even deleted MC tracking apps following the overturning of Roe v...

BACKGROUND: Advancements in digital health technologies (DHTs) mean people are increasingly recording and managing personal health data. As observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing of such data may provide unrivalled opportunities in advancing our understanding of conditions otherwise poorly understood, including rare conditions. METHODS: A semi-structured focus group (n=25) explored perspectives and experiences of sharing health data among those with a group of rare haematological conditions, sickle cell disorder (SCD)...

BACKGROUND: Under-resourced urban minority communities in the United States are characterized by food environments with low access to healthy foods, high food insecurity, and high rates of diet-related chronic disease. In Baltimore, Maryland, low access to healthy food largely results from a distribution gap between small food sources (retailers) and their suppliers. Digital interventions have the potential to address this gap, while keeping costs low. METHODS: In this paper, we describe the technical (I) front-end design and (II) back-end development process of the Baltimore Urban food Distribution (BUD) application (app)...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Over 26 million older adults in the United States (US) have prediabetes, which is often a precursor to type 2 diabetes. The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is an evidence-based, lifestyle program for older-adult Medicare beneficiaries to prevent progression to diabetes. However, the MDPP has been drastically underutilized. Telehealth delivery may be a promising strategy to increase the reach and impact of the MDPP, including for underserved populations...

Depression is more common in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) compared to youth without diabetes. This study aims to assess the efficacy of Competent Adulthood Transition with Cognitive Humanistic and Interpersonal Teaching (CATCH-IT), an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention, in adolescents with T1D and depressive symptoms. Adolescents (13 to 17 years old) with T1D and mild (score 5-9) or moderate (score 10-14) depressive symptoms on Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent (PHQ-A) screening assessment were recruited to participate and received online access to the CATCH-IT modules for 6 months (requested to complete in 12 weeks)...

BACKGROUND: A relational agent (RA) is a digital tool tailored to communicate with users, aiming to establish a sense of social ease and emotional bond, particularly focusing on their health and well-being concerns. A mobile health (mHealth) RA is particularly crafted to communicate with users within their mobile devices. As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, these mHealth RAs can serve as personal health assistants, e.g., guiding users through medical regimens, offering reminders for medication, providing emotional support during health crises, or even aiding in mental well-being exercises...

BACKGROUND: This systematic review aims to highlight the untapped potential of heart rate variability (HRV) and atrial fibrillation (AF) monitoring by wearable health monitoring devices as a critical diagnostic tool in cardiac surgery (CS) patients. We reviewed established predictive capabilities of HRV and AF monitoring in specific cardiosurgical scenarios and provide a perspective on additional predictive properties of wearable health monitoring devices that need to be investigated...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The Digital Healthcare Act, passed in November 2019, authorizes healthcare providers in Germany to prescribe digital health applications (DiGA) to patients covered by statutory health insurance. If DiGA meet specific efficacy requirements, they may be listed in a special directory maintained by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices. Due to the lack of well-founded app evaluation tools, the objectives were to assess (I) the evidence quality situation for DiGA in the literature and (II) how DiGA manufacturers deal with this issue, as reflected by the apps available in the aforementioned directory...

Cervical cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death among women in many parts of the world. With the increasing proliferation of mobile technology, text messaging interventions have been effective in improving Pap smear uptake in non-United States populations. This study evaluated whether text message reminders from a health system in Galveston, Texas, USA increased uptake of cervical cancer screening as compared to usual care. A single text message reminder was sent to 16,002 unique patient phone numbers using the Televox Communication Program from February 20, 2019, to April 4, 2019...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Over the years, telemedicine has played a prominent role in delivering healthcare to patients. Due to its flexibility and many benefits, telemedicine confers physicians the ability to guide and promote medical care remotely. The advent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the landscape of medicine and has accelerated the usage of digital and remote healthcare systems for clinical care. Herein, we provide an overview of telemedicine, its applications in managing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease (CD), and liver diseases, its advantages and limitations, and its use in educating the next generation of gastroenterologists...

BACKGROUND: As healthcare continues to expand online and digital care offerings multiply, the importance of digital inclusion and equity is now better recognized. Yet despite impressive regional grassroots efforts, today there remain few readily deployable programs designed to support patient digital literacy. METHODS: Digital Outreach for Obtaining Resources and Skills (DOORs) is one such digital literacy program that has evolved over the last 5 years to meet the rising demand...

BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is used to capture daily lived experiences, states, and environments. Although EMA is commonly used in behavioral health research, there remains a dearth of literature on how researchers account for design considerations of EMA techniques when designing studies. The goal of this formative mixed methods study was to elicit feedback on EMA study procedures and materials from the target populations for a larger study about binge eating among sexual minority and heterosexual young women, in which data are collected entirely remotely...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.