BACKGROUND
Modifiable factors such as physical inactivity and unhealthy diet contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in South Asians (SAs). Interventions using mobile health (mHealth) could reduce the burden of CVD and DM in SAs living in the U.S.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the factors associated with the acceptance, and usage of mHealth applications (apps) among SA adults living in the U.S.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, 134 SA adults were recruited from all across US. Self-reported measures included demographics, health status, motivations for using mHealth, technology acceptance and usage, and reasons for non-usage of mHealth apps. Descriptive statistics were used to compare group differences among current users, past users, and non-users of mHealth apps.
RESULTS
Most (62.4%) of the participants were current users of mHealth apps. The majority of users were 35-54 years old, female, healthy, employed, and university-educated, with an annual family income of over $80,000. There were no statistically significant differences in demographics, health status and chronic diseases among those surveyed. The mean scores for perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, confirmation of expectations, user satisfaction, and intent to continue using mHealth ranged from 3.5 to 4.2 (on a scale of 1-5).
CONCLUSIONS
More than half of the surveyed SA adults used and accepted mHealth.. The results from this study may help in selecting the most widely accepted mHealth apps for designing interventions for SA adults in the U.S. to lower the risk of CVD and DM.
CLINICALTRIAL