Are people with diabetes mHealth-ready? Smartphone utilisation in a socioeconomically marginalised urban Australian general practitioner-led diabetes clinic.

Abstract

Objective Mobile Health (mHealth), a subset of digital health, requires people to own smartphones, but ownership barriers overlap with social factors linked to type 2 diabetes (T2D) burden. We describe the prevalence of smartphone ownership, app use and mobile internet access and factors around uptake and utilisation among people with T2D accessing care in a community setting. Methods A cross-sectional survey was performed with people with diabetes attending a community-based general practitioner-led diabetes clinic located in Inala, a multiculturally diverse but socioeconomically marginalised suburban region of Brisbane, Queensland. The survey was read aloud to participants, with interpreters if required. Results There were 104 participants, the median age was 63years, 47.1% were female and 44.2% spoke language(s) other than English (LOTE) at home. Smartphone ownership was high (85.6%), and average self-rated confidence with advanced feature use was between 'somewhat confident' and 'confident'. Older adults were significantly less likely to own smartphones, less confident with advanced features and less likely to use apps regularly, but many knew someone who could support uptake. LOTE spoken at home was not associated with ownership, mobile internet access, app use or self-rated confidence with advanced feature use, suggesting smartphone technology is already part of daily life. Conclusions Smartphone ownership and utilisation does not appear to be a major barrier to mHealth uptake in our context. Older adults need tailored supports and education to encourage mHealth uptake.