title: Challenges in conducting mHealth research with underserved populations: Lessons learned.
abstract: Previous studies have recognized the potential of mobile technology to improve health outcomes among underserved populations, but the challenges in conducting research into the use of mobile technology to improve health (mHealth) are not well understood. This manuscript identifies some of the most important challenges in conducting mHealth research with a sample of urban American Indian and Alaska Native mothers. We examined these challenges through an existing partnership with a community health agency. We conducted community consultations and a process monitoring phase for a pilot trial aimed at measuring the effect of a brief counselling session on participants' adherence to use of a mobile app. We identify generalizable challenges in administrative, technological, and logistical domains that will be useful foreknowledge to other investigators planning to conduct mHealth research with underserved populations.
authors.affiliation: Initiative for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (I-REACH), Washington State University, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Lonnie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Initiative for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (I-REACH), Washington State University, Seattle, WA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA azkapoor@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zamora-Kapoor
mesh_terms: D000413:Alaska; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D063731:Mobile Applications / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014861:Washington
keywords: American Indians/Alaska Natives; Underserved populations; lessons learned; mobile applications; mobile phone