Information and Communication Technologies Interest, Access, and Use: Cross-Sectional Survey of a Community Sample of Urban, Predominantly Black Women

Association between digital engagement and urban-rural disparities in Chinese women's depressive symptoms: A national-level cross-sectional study

Objectives

This study aims to investigate the impact of digital engagement on urban-rural disparities in depressive symptoms among Chinese women.

Methods

Using a dataset from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) wave 2020, this study analyzes the impact of digital engagement on the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms using multiple linear regression and recentered influence function (RIF) models. Furthermore, the extent to which digital engagement affects the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms was calculated using the RIF decomposition method.

Results

Analysis showed that rural women had significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to urban women; digital engagement significantly reduced women's depressive symptoms levels and mitigated the urban-rural disparity for women with moderate to high levels of depressive symptoms, and the mitigating effect was stronger for the highly depressed sample, but still widened the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms overall. In addition, the results of the RIF decomposition showed that digital engagement explained 28.28% of the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

There is a significant disparity in depressive symptoms levels between urban and rural women in China. Digital engagement reduces women's depressive symptoms, but it also widens the depressive symptoms disparity between urban and rural women overall. Digital engagement is potentially positive for reducing women's depressive symptoms.

Income and Health Perceptions in an Economically Disadvantaged Community: A Qualitative Case Study from Central Florida

The link between income and adverse health outcomes continues to be problematic among racially and economically segregated urban communities. Although the consequences of living in areas of concentrated disadvantage have been delineated, there is a dearth of knowledge on how citizens from such areas perceive the effects of neighborhood characteristics on their individual and community health. This qualitative study explored how minority residents ( N = 23) viewed the intersectionality of income and health within their urban neighborhoods of economic distress. Focus groups were conducted using semi-structured interviews to better understand health concerns, needs, and barriers for individuals and their community. The main finding highlighted how residents desired to be healthy, but economic barriers prevented them from maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet. While residing in a concentrated disadvantaged community, lack of income and power contributed to stress and fear that forced residents to prioritize survival over their wellbeing. Implications for improving individual and community health include operating within a systems framework to affect collective efficacy and empowerment among residents of low-income neighborhoods.

Perceptions on mobile health use for health education in an Indigenous population

Introduction

Indigenous peoples in Canada face numerous health needs and challenges and often have poor health status due to inequitable access to care. Providing culturally appropriate support for health conditions, particularly chronic conditions that require self-management, can assist in averting complications and morbidity. Mobile health is a useful medium for delivering health education across different populations. However, meaningful user involvement is necessary because mobile health interventions suitable for one population may not be appropriate for another. Indigenous people’s views will inform the use of mobile health interventions in Indigenous communities.

Objective

The study explored the perception of Indigenous women on using mobile health as a tool for receiving health information.

Methods

This was a qualitative study, and participants comprised of 22 Indigenous women (First Nations and Métis) with or at risk of diabetes, aged 18–69 years in Saskatoon, Canada. After 12 weeks of disseminating diabetic eye care information via text messaging, data were collected via sharing circle discussions and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Participants indicated that the nature of messages such as the use of Indigenous languages, the message content, frequency of messages, group activities, and delivery formats such as voice messages, mobile applications, Internet, two-way messaging, and text messages were essential considerations in using mobile health as a tool for receiving health information.

Conclusion

Different factors need to be considered in using mobile health as a tool for health education among Indigenous peoples. These factors could be applicable in implementing mobile health solutions in other populations for the management of health conditions.