Cell Phones to Collect Pregnancy Data From Remote Areas in Liberia

Purpose: To report findings on knowledge and skill acquisition following a 3‐day training session in the use of short message service (SMS) texting with non‐ and low‐literacy traditional midwives. Design: A pre‐ and post‐test study design was used to assess knowledge and skill acquisition with 99 traditional midwives on the use of SMS texting for real‐time, remote data collection in rural Liberia, West Africa. Methods: Paired sample t‐tests were conducted to establish if overall mean scores varied significantly from pre‐test to immediate post‐test. Analysis of variance was used to compare means across groups. The nonparametric McNemar's test was used to determine significant differences between the pre‐test and post‐test values of each individual step involved in SMS texting. Pearson's chi‐square test of independence was used to examine the association between ownership of cell phones within a family and achievement of the seven tasks. Findings: The mean increase in cell phone knowledge scores was 3.67, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 3.39 to 3.95. Participants with a cell phone in the family did significantly better on three of the seven tasks in the pre‐test: “turns cell on without help” (χ 2 (1) = 9.15, p = .003); “identifies cell phone coverage” (χ 2 (1) = 5.37, p = .024); and “identifies cell phone is charged” (χ 2 (1) = 4.40, p = .042). Conclusions: A 3‐day cell phone training session with low‐ and nonliterate traditional midwives in rural Liberia improved their ability to use mobile technology for SMS texting. Clinical Relevance: Mobile technology can improve data collection accessibility and be used for numerous health care and public health issues. Cell phone accessibility holds great promise for collecting health data in low‐resource areas of the world. Journal of Nursing Scholarship , 2012; 00:0, 1–8.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93561/1/j.1547-5069.2012.01451.x.pd

Lecturers' use of Web 2.0 in the faculty of Information Science and communications at MZUZU University, Malawi

The study reported on in this article investigated the use of Web 2.0 technologies by lecturers in the Faculty of Information Science and Communications at Mzuzu University (MZUNI), Mzuzu, Malawi. By distributing a questionnaire to 19 lecturers, conducting follow-up interviews with seven lecturers and analysing the curricula, the study showed that between 10 (58.8%) and 13 (76.5%) lecturers use Wikipedia, YouTube, blogs, Google Apps and Twitter to accomplish various academic activities, such as handing out assignments to students; receiving feedback from students; uploading lecture notes; searching for content; storing lecture notes; and carrying out collaborative educational activities. The study adopted the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (Taylor and Todd 1995) and the theory's elements that strongly affected lecturers' use of the technologies according to the results included attitude and perceived behaviour control. The study also found that poor Internet access remains the key stumbling block towards a successful adoption of Web 2.0 technologies by lecturers at MZUNI. To this end, the study recommends that the newly established Department of ICT Directorate with support from MZUNI management should install campuswide Wi-Fi and improve Internet bandwidth so that lecturers' access to the Internet is not limited to their offices but rather is available in the teaching rooms across the campus.DHE

The relationship between addictive use of social media, narcissism, and self-esteem: findings from a large national survey

Social media has become an increasingly popular leisure activity over the last decade. Although most people’s social media use is non-problematic, a small number of users appear to engage in social media excessively and/or compulsively. The main objective of this study was to examine the associations between addictive use of social media, narcissism, and self esteem. A cross-sectional convenient sample of 23,532 Norwegians (Mage=35.8 years; range=16-88 years) completed an open web-based survey including the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16, and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale. Results demonstrated that lower age, being female, being single, being a student, lower education, lower income, lower self-esteem, and narcissism were associated with higher scores on the BSMAS, explaining a total of 17.5% of the variance. Although most effect sizes were relatively modest, the findings supported the notion of addictive social media use reflecting a need to feed the ego (i.e., narcissistic personality traits) and an attempt to inhibit a negative self-concept (i.e., basic cognitions). The results were also consistent with demographic predictions and associations taken from central theories concerning “addiction”, indicating that females may tend to develop more addictive use of activities involving social interaction than males. However, the cross-sectional study design makes inferences about directionality impossible

The effectiveness of e-& mHealth interventions to promote physical activity and healthy diets in developing countries: a systematic review

Background: Promoting physical activity and healthy eating is important to combat the unprecedented rise in NCDs in many developing countries. Using modern information-and communication technologies to deliver physical activity and diet interventions is particularly promising considering the increased proliferation of such technologies in many developing countries. The objective of this systematic review is to investigate the effectiveness of e-& mHealth interventions to promote physical activity and healthy diets in developing countries.Methods: Major databases and grey literature sources were searched to retrieve studies that quantitatively examined the effectiveness of e-& mHealth interventions on physical activity and diet outcomes in developing countries. Additional studies were retrieved through citation alerts and scientific social media allowing study inclusion until August 2016. The CONSORT checklist was used to assess the risk of bias of the included studies.Results: A total of 15 studies conducted in 13 developing countries in Europe, Africa, Latin-and South America and Asia were included in the review. The majority of studies enrolled adults who were healthy or at risk of diabetes or hypertension. The average intervention length was 6.4 months, and text messages and the Internet were the most frequently used intervention delivery channels. Risk of bias across the studies was moderate (55.7 % of the criteria fulfilled). Eleven studies reported significant positive effects of an e-& mHealth intervention on physical activity and/or diet behaviour. Respectively, 50 % and 70 % of the interventions were effective in promoting physical activity and healthy diets.Conclusions: The majority of studies demonstrated that e-& mHealth interventions were effective in promoting physical activity and healthy diets in developing countries. Future interventions should use more rigorous study designs, investigate the cost-effectiveness and reach of interventions, and focus on emerging technologies, such as smart phone apps and wearable activity trackers.Trial registration: The review protocol can be retrieved from the PROSPERO database (Registration ID: CRD42015029240)

Use of Information and Communication Technologies in the formal and informal health system responses to the 2015 Nepal earthquakes

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly recognised for their potential contributions to health service delivery in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). As well as playing a role in improving the provision of health services under everyday “normal” circumstances, ICTs can also be important in preparing for, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from disasters. This research explores the use of ICTs in a natural disaster situation in Nepal, a country affected by a series of strong earthquakes in 2015. In March and April 2016, in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=24) and focus group discussions (n=4) were conducted with key informants: those affected by the earthquake, and those forming part of the formal or informal health system responses. Data was collected and analysed across three levels, from the bottom “upwards”, namely: (i) village level; (ii) district level, and (iii) central/national level. Perceptions of the role and value of ICTs varied greatly – as did patterns of use. While access and capability were found to be key barriers to use rurally, ICTs were nevertheless an important part of the informal response, helping people to gather information, express needs, and cope emotionally. They also helped relief agencies in allowing for networking and coordination among actors. Use of ICTs in the formal health system response, however, was severely lacking in many areas, relying more on traditional methods of disaster management. This reflects a general deficiency in, and underuse of, ICTs in the pre-earthquake Nepali healthcare system. We conclude by calling for a redoubling of efforts to improve and increase the adoption, diffusion, integration and regular use of ICTs within the Nepali health system – an approach that will assist with day-to-day service delivery but also provide a crucial platform upon which to build during future crises

Delivering patient decision aids on the Internet: definitions, theories, current evidence, and emerging research areas

BACKGROUND: In 2005, the International Patient Decision Aids Standards Collaboration identified twelve quality dimensions to guide assessment of patient decision aids. One dimension—the delivery of patient decision aids on the Internet—is relevant when the Internet is used to provide some or all components of a patient decision aid. Building on the original background chapter, this paper provides an updated definition for this dimension, outlines a theoretical rationale, describes current evidence, and discusses emerging research areas. METHODS: An international, multidisciplinary panel of authors examined the relevant theoretical literature and empirical evidence through 2012. RESULTS: The updated definition distinguishes Internet-delivery of patient decision aids from online health information and clinical practice guidelines. Theories in cognitive psychology, decision psychology, communication, and education support the value of Internet features for providing interactive information and deliberative support. Dissemination and implementation theories support Internet-delivery for providing the right information (rapidly updated), to the right person (tailored), at the right time (the appropriate point in the decision making process). Additional efforts are needed to integrate the theoretical rationale and empirical evidence from health technology perspectives, such as consumer health informatics, user experience design, and human-computer interaction. Despite Internet usage ranging from 74% to 85% in developed countries and 80% of users searching for health information, it is unknown how many individuals specifically seek patient decision aids on the Internet. Among the 86 randomized controlled trials in the 2011 Cochrane Collaboration’s review of patient decision aids, only four studies focused on Internet-delivery. Given the limited number of published studies, this paper particularly focused on identifying gaps in the empirical evidence base and identifying emerging areas of research. CONCLUSIONS: As of 2012, the updated theoretical rationale and emerging evidence suggest potential benefits to delivering patient decision aids on the Internet. However, additional research is needed to identify best practices and quality metrics for Internet-based development, evaluation, and dissemination, particularly in the areas of interactivity, multimedia components, socially-generated information, and implementation strategies