⚡ Quick Summary
A recent study explored the perspectives of Hispanic and Latinx community members on AI-enabled mobile health (mHealth) tools, revealing both the potential benefits and significant barriers to access. The findings highlight the need for culturally relevant and accessible health technologies to address chronic health disparities in these communities. 🌟
🔍 Key Details
- 📊 Participants: 48 Hispanic and Latinx adults from Washington State
- 🗣️ Focus Groups: 8 sessions conducted in English and Spanish
- 📅 Study Duration: May to September 2023
- 🔑 Key Themes Identified: 7 major themes regarding mHealth perceptions
🔑 Key Takeaways
- 💡 mHealth is viewed as beneficial for promoting health and providing peace of mind.
- 📱 Technology familiarity varies, with some participants feeling uncomfortable or unaware of mHealth tools.
- 💰 Financial barriers significantly limit access to mHealth solutions.
- 🛠️ Practical considerations create challenges for integrating mHealth into daily life.
- ⚠️ Concerns about overreliance on technology were expressed by participants.
- 🤖 Automated features are seen as valuable but require human oversight for accuracy.
- 🔒 Data sharing is viewed as beneficial for limited uses but raises privacy concerns.
- 🌍 Insights from this study can guide the development of culturally relevant mHealth tools.
📚 Background
Chronic conditions disproportionately affect Hispanic and Latinx communities, making the development of effective health interventions crucial. While mobile health (mHealth) tools have the potential to alleviate some of these burdens, existing digital divides may exacerbate health disparities. Understanding community perspectives is essential for creating technology that is both accessible and culturally relevant.
🗒️ Study
This qualitative study involved web-based focus groups with English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic and Latinx adults in Washington State. Participants discussed their experiences and perceptions of mHealth tools, particularly in relation to case examples of asthma management in children and fall risk in older adults. The research team utilized a combination of deductive and inductive coding methods to analyze the data and identify key themes.
📈 Results
The study successfully conducted 8 focus groups with a total of 48 participants, stratified by language and region. The analysis revealed seven key themes that illustrate both the potential benefits and barriers to mHealth adoption within these communities. These insights underscore the importance of tailoring mHealth solutions to meet the unique needs and values of Hispanic and Latinx individuals.
🌍 Impact and Implications
The findings from this study are significant for the future of mHealth technology. By addressing the identified barriers and leveraging the perceived benefits, developers can create tools that are not only effective but also culturally relevant. This approach has the potential to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities in chronic disease management among Hispanic and Latinx populations. 🌟
🔮 Conclusion
This study highlights the critical need for mHealth tools that resonate with the values and experiences of Hispanic and Latinx communities. By understanding their perspectives, we can advance the development of health technologies that are both accessible and effective, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes. The journey towards equitable health technology continues, and community input is invaluable in this process.
💬 Your comments
What are your thoughts on the integration of AI and mHealth tools in addressing health disparities? We would love to hear your insights! 💬 Leave your comments below or connect with us on social media:
Perspectives of Hispanic and Latinx Community Members on AI-Enabled mHealth Tools: Qualitative Focus Group Study.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) tools have the potential to reduce the burden of chronic conditions that disproportionately affect Hispanic and Latinx communities; however, digital divides in the access to and use of health technology suggest that mHealth has the potential to exacerbate, rather than reduce, these disparities.
OBJECTIVE: A key step toward developing health technology that is accessible and usable is to understand community member perspectives and needs so that technology is culturally relevant and appropriately contextualized. In this study, we aimed to examine the perspectives of Hispanic and Latinx community members in Washington State about mHealth.
METHODS: We recruited English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic or Latinx adults to participate in web-based focus groups through existing community-based networks across rural and urban regions of Washington State. Focus groups included a presentation of narrative slideshow materials developed by the research team depicting mHealth use case examples of asthma in children and fall risk in older adults. Focus group questions asked participants to respond to the case examples and to further explore mHealth use preferences, benefits, barriers, and concerns. Focus group recordings were professionally transcribed, and Spanish transcripts were translated into English. We developed a qualitative codebook using deductive and inductive methods and then coded deidentified transcripts using the constant comparison method. The analysis team proposed themes based on review of coded data, which were validated through member checking with a community advisory board serving Latino individuals in the region and finalized through discussion with the entire research team.
RESULTS: Between May and September 2023, we conducted 8 focus groups in English or Spanish with 48 participants. Focus groups were stratified by language and region and included the following: 3 (n=18, 38% participants) Spanish urban groups, 2 (n=14, 29% participants) Spanish rural groups, 1 (n=6, 13% participants) English urban group, and 2 (n=10, 21% participants) English rural groups. We identified the following seven themes: (1) mHealth is seen as beneficial for promoting health and peace of mind; (2) some are unaware of, unfamiliar with, or uncomfortable with technology and may benefit from individualized support; (3) financial barriers limit access to mHealth; (4) practical considerations create barriers to using mHealth in daily life; (5) mHealth raises concern for overreliance on technology; (6) automated mHealth features are perceived as valuable but fallible, requiring human input to ensure accuracy; and (7) data sharing is seen as valuable for limited uses but raises privacy concerns. These themes illustrate key barriers to the benefits of mHealth that communities may face, provide insights into the role of mHealth within families, and examine the appropriate balance of data sharing and privacy protections.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings offer important insights that can help advance the development of mHealth that responds to community values and priorities.
Author: [‘Kraft SA’, ‘Chopra S’, ‘Duran MC’, ‘Rojina JA’, ‘Beretta A’, ‘López KI’, ‘Javan R’, ‘Wilfond BS’, ‘Rosenfeld M’, ‘Fogarty J’, ‘Ko LK’]
Journal: J Med Internet Res
Citation: Kraft SA, et al. Perspectives of Hispanic and Latinx Community Members on AI-Enabled mHealth Tools: Qualitative Focus Group Study. Perspectives of Hispanic and Latinx Community Members on AI-Enabled mHealth Tools: Qualitative Focus Group Study. 2025; 27:e59817. doi: 10.2196/59817