SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALpublic health, epidemiology

cross-sectional·public health, epidemiology, family medicine, infectious disease, observational study·PMC10389075

Perceptions of COVID-19 and the Use of Health Information Technology Among People Who Are Uninsured: Multimethod Survey Study

JMIR Formative Research · 9 authors, 8 centres

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TL;DR

This multimethod survey study of 240 uninsured adults at US free clinics found that while respondents demonstrated accurate knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, most did not perceive themselves to be at risk for the disease. The majority expressed interest in using a proposed mobile health app for COVID-19 information and resources.

Full summary

535 CHARS

This study used a multimethod design, combining a cross-sectional survey of 240 uninsured adults with interviews of a subset of 10 respondents. The survey assessed perceptions of COVID-19 risk, knowledge of symptoms, and interest in a hypothetical mHealth app. Interest in using an mHealth app was high at 71%. The implications suggest that while knowledge is present, health literacy may be needed to translate it into appropriate risk assessment and health actions, and that an mHealth app could be a useful tool for this population.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

public health

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

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100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10389075

Perceptions of COVID-19 and the Use of Health Information Technology Among People Who Are Uninsured: Multimethod Survey Study

JMIR Formative Research

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ABSTRACT

Background As of May 2023, the novel SARS-CoV-2 has claimed nearly 7 million lives globally and >1.1 million lives in the United States. Low-income populations are often disproportionately affected by risk factors such as lifestyle, employment, and limited health literacy. These populations may lack the knowledge of appropriate infection precautions or have reduced access to care during illness, particularly in countries without universal health care. Objective We aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of COVID-19, including symptoms and risk factors among uninsured individuals seeking care at a free medical clinic, and to obtain respondents’ perceptions of and suggestions for adapting a mobile health (mHealth) app to an uninsured population known to have low health literacy. Methods We conducted a prospective multimethod survey study with a convenience sample of uninsured adults seeking care at 3 free clinics in the United States. Respondents were questioned about their risk for and awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, COVID-19 testing, current technology use, and the use of technology to facilitate their health regarding COVID-19. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (eg, frequencies and mean differences). In addition, a small subset of respondents from one of the clinics (n=10) participated in interviews to provide feedback about the design of a COVID-19 web-based smartphone (mHealth) app. Results The survey respondents (N=240) were 53.8% (n=129) female, were primarily White (n=113, 47.1%), and had a mean age of 50.0 (SD 11.67; range 19-72) years. Most respondents (162/222, 73%) did not think that they were at risk for COVID-19. Although respondents reported only moderate confidence in their knowledge of the short- and long-term symptoms of COVID-19, their knowledge of the symptoms aligned well with reports published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the most common acute (590/610, 96.7%) and long-term (217/271, 80.1%) symptoms. Most respondents (159/224, 71%) reported an interest in using the mHealth app to gain additional information regarding COVID-19 and available community resources. Respondents who were interviewed provided suggestions to improve the mHealth app but had overall positive perceptions about the potential usefulness and usability of the app. Conclusions It was encouraging that the knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms aligned well with the reports published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and that respondents were enthusiastic about using an mHealth app to monitor symptoms. However, it was concerning that most respondents did not think they were at a risk of contracting COVID-19.

CITATION EXPORT

Khushi S Patel, Cynthia F Corbett, Elizabeth M Combs et al.. Perceptions of COVID-19 and the Use of Health Information Technology Among People Who Are Uninsured: Multimethod Survey Study. JMIR Formative Research. (2023). https://doi.org/10.2196/45349

AUTHORS

9 · 8 CENTRES

Khushi S Patel, Cynthia F Corbett, Elizabeth M Combs, Sara B Donevant, Margaret J Selph, Lynette M Gibson, Robin M Dawson, Amit P Sheth, Ronda G Hughes

1 Arnold School of Public Health University of South Carolina Columbia, SC United States
2 South Carolina Honors College University of South Carolina Columbia, SC United States
3 Advancing Chronic Care Outcomes through Research & INnovation Center College of Nursing University of South Carolina Columbia, SC United States
4 College of Nursing University of South Carolina Columbia, SC United States
5 The Free Medical Clinic Columbia, SC United States
6 Mary Black College of Nursing University of South Carolina - Upstate Spartanburg, SC United States
7 Artificial Intelligence Institute University of South Carolina Columbia, SC United States
8 American Hospital Association Chicago, IL United States

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Amaryllis Mavragani, Eline Meijer, Ehsan Nabovati, Nathan Yung