An Assessment of E-health Resources and Readiness in the Republic of the Marshall Islands: Implications for Non-communicable Disease Intervention Development.
Hawaii J Health Soc Welf
; 79(6 Suppl 2): 52-57, 2020 06 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32596679
ABSTRACT
The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rapidly increasing in low and middle income countries (LMIC). The Republic of the Marshall Islands is an island country in the Pacific located near the equator and has the third highest prevalence of diabetes in the world, high rates of complications, and early mortality with limited or no resources for tertiary care of these complications. Given the limited resources of the country, there is a need for strategies which emphasize NCD prevention. E-health interventions are becoming more popular in LMICs. A rapid qualitative assessment, involving focus groups, site visits, and key informant interviews, was performed to ascertain community perceptions about the causes of NCDs including diabetes and potential solutions. An assessment of the technology infrastructure was conducted to assess capacity for potential e-health interventions. Thirty local participants were interviewed. Participants identified diabetes as the highest priority NCD with dietary shifts toward imported, processed foods and decrease in physical activity as the major causes. Text messaging and Facebook were found to be widely utilized for personal and public communication. Given the low-tech, low-cost communication mechanisms and widespread use of Facebook, a social media intervention could help support local NCD prevention communications initiatives.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
2_ODS3
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde
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Telemedicina
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Qualitative_research
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Hawaii J Health Soc Welf
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article