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Gender differences in participation in a mHealth intervention to promote lifestyle changes in Latin America (380.8)
Author(s) -
Kanter Rebecca,
RamirezZea Manuel,
Martinez Homero
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.380.8
Subject(s) - mhealth , intervention (counseling) , latin americans , psychological intervention , gerontology , public health , mobile phone , medicine , psychology , nursing , political science , computer science , telecommunications , law
Background: In public health, often men are harder to reach than women. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer a solution. Quantifying how effective a mHealth intervention is in reaching both genders is critical for progress in this field. Objective: To explore if a mHealth intervention reaches both genders equally, identifying perceived barriers and potential solutions. Methods: A quantitative and qualitative survey was given to a random sub‐sample of subjects who participated in a 1 y mHealth intervention to promote lifestyle change (monthly phone calls and weekly SMS) in Argentina, Guatemala, and Peru (n = 20‐40 per country). Chi‐squared tests were used to determine gender differences in active participation in the intervention. All qualitative information was thematically coded and analyzed in Dedoose. Results: The perceived active participation in the intervention did not vary significantly (p<0.05) by gender. More men than women found the calls to promote better dialogue to facilitate lifestyle change. Men and women listed different barriers to not attaining monthly goals about diet and physical activity. Men had more suggestions for improving the intervention. Conclusions: A mHealth intervention had equal reach regarding gender, which is important for public health programs. Lifestyle changes are hard, but mHealth methods can facilitate these changes in poor urban settings in Latin America. Grant Funding Source : Supported by NHLBI and UHG