Information and Communication Technology Access and Use Among Low-Income Latino Immigrant Parents.

INTRODUCTION: Development of mHealth interventions to address health disparities for Latino children in immigrant families requires understanding access to and use of information and communication technology. METHODS: We examined access to information and communication technology and use of common applications/programs by low-income immigrant Latino parents of infants to inform development of mHealth interventions for this population. Latino immigrant parents reported technology use and access of common applications/software via survey. RESULTS: Of the 157 participants, we found nearly all parents owned a smartphone and that 60% accessed the internet only via their smartphone. Around one-quarter of participants had access to unlimited data. Frequent use of text messaging was common, but frequent email use was less common. Less than 10% of participants frequently used health-oriented applications. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that mHealth interventions that use data, email, or an application interface may not have the intended reach or effectiveness among low-income immigrant Latino parents. Consideration of these findings is important in guiding the development of future mHealth programs for the low-income Latino population. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02647814).

Leaving Paper Behind: Improving Healthcare Navigation by Latino Immigrant Parents Through Video-Based Education.

System barriers to effective healthcare engagement and navigation contribute to healthcare disparities among Latino children with immigrant parents in the US. We evaluated a nine-minute educational video supporting healthcare navigation and engagement skills of Spanish-speaking Latino parents of infants. Participants viewed the video at their child's 2-month well-visit, completed a pre-and post-video knowledge evaluation, and answered open-ended questions on video style. A paired t test was used to examine differences in knowledge and open-ended responses were coded using an iterative, consensus-based process. Of the 79 participants, 63.3% had an education level below high school diploma/GED and 84.8% were at risk for limited health literacy. There was a significant gain in healthcare navigation and engagement knowledge after watching the video (p < 0.001). Parents expressed that the video was interesting and provided useful information. Parents valued the knowledge gained and preferred videos over written materials for receiving culturally and linguistically tailored health education.

Immigrant Latino parents demonstrated high interactivity with pediatric primary care text messaging intervention.

BACKGROUND: The majority of Latino immigrants have been shown to have a mobile phone. Cellular phones offer a low-cost method of reaching larger populations and have the potential for increased tailoring and interactivity. This supports the development of mHealth interventions to address healthcare disparities in this population. In this study we sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of interactive Spanish-language text messages sent throughout a child's first year of life in a low-income, limited-English proficient (LEP) Latino population to support families in accessing and using pediatric primary care more effectively. METHODS: Participants (n=79) received interactive text messages over a period of 12 months as a part of a multi-modal mHealth intervention conducted at an urban academic pediatric primary care practice. Inclusion criteria were: singleton infant <2 months of age, enrollment in public health insurance, parent age >18, parent preferred healthcare language of Spanish, and at least one household cellular phone. Interactive text messages were designed to promote increased healthcare engagement and prompted participant responses through preprogramed algorithms. Text message sequences included clinic appointment reminders, support for obtaining medicine and completing referral appointments, monitoring of illness care needs and use, and parent support program reminders. Descriptive analyses were used to examine text message volume, usability, and participant response to text sequences. RESULTS: Among participants, mean parent age was 30.1 years (SD: 6.1 years); mean years in the US was 7.5 years (SD: 5.1 years). 63.3% of parents had less than a high school education and 84.8% of parents had possible/high likelihood of limited health literacy. Participants completed the majority of sequences with appointment reminder sequences having the quickest response time. The top quartile of responders completed 88.3% of sequences; lower educational attainment was associated with lower text message sequence completion. Participants rated the program positively, especially the appointment reminders. CONCLUSIONS: LEP Latino parents successfully engaged with interactive Spanish-language text sequences and parent acceptability was high. This study demonstrates feasibility for interventions employing this technology. Text message interventions may be a feasible approach to reduce healthcare disparities and costs for vulnerable populations.

A Texting Intervention in Latino Families to Reduce ED Use: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Latino children in immigrant families experience health care disparities. Text messaging interventions for this population may address disparities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a Spanish-language text messaging intervention on infant emergency department use and well care and vaccine adherence. METHODS: The Salud al Día intervention, an educational video and interactive text messages throughout the child's first year of life, was evaluated via randomized controlled trial conducted in an urban, academic pediatric primary care practice from February 2016 to December 2017. Inclusion criteria were publicly insured singleton infant <2 months of age; parent age >18, with Spanish as the preferred health care language; and at least 1 household cellular phone. Primary outcomes were abstracted from the electronic medical record at age 15 months. Intention-to-treat analyses were used. RESULTS: A total of 157 parent-child dyads were randomly assigned to Salud al Día (n = 79) or control groups (n = 78). Among all participants, mean parent age was 29.3 years (SD: 6.2 years), mean years in the United States was 7.3 (SD: 5.3 years), and 87% of parents had limited or marginal health literacy. The incidence rate ratio for emergency department use for the control versus intervention group was 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.04-2.12). A greater proportion of intervention infants received 2 flu vaccine doses compared with controls (81% vs 67%; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: This Spanish-language text messaging intervention reduced emergency department use and increased flu vaccine receipt among a population at high risk for health care disparities. Tailored text message interventions are a promising method for addressing disparities.

Moving From Knowledge to Action: Improving Safety and Quality of Care for Patients With Limited English Proficiency.

Objective. This study assessed safety culture and staff communication with patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) to identify system-level approaches to increasing interpreter use and reducing health care disparities. Methods. An electronic survey and 7 focus groups were conducted with health care professionals in pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology. Survey data were examined with univariate descriptive analysis. Focus group transcripts were coded through an iterative consensus process. Results. Survey participants (n = 68) reported less confidence in their ability to communicate effectively (74%) and form therapeutic relationships (56%) with LEP patients versus English-proficient patients. Focus groups identified knowledge as a facilitator of interpreter use. Workflow constraints, supply-demand mismatch, variable interpretation quality, and gaps in communication with interpretation services management were barriers. Conclusion. Knowledge gaps may not be a primary cause of interpreter underuse. Strategies to address workflow barriers and engage with interpretation services are critical to move from knowledge to action to improve LEP patient care.

Parent activation and pediatric primary care outcomes for vulnerable children: A mixed methods study.

OBJECTIVE: Among children in low-income families 1) examine associations between parent activation and pediatric primary care outcomes and 2) explore parent perspectives on Parent-Patient Activation Measure (P-PAM) questions in relation to pediatric primary care experiences. METHODS: We examined associations between P-PAM score via Spanish- or English-language survey and healthcare outcomes abstracted from electronic medical records for parent/child dyads at an urban general pediatrics clinic. Parent perspectives were elicited via qualitative interviews with a subsample of parents who "thought aloud" during P-PAM completion. RESULTS: Among 316 Spanish (68%) and English-language parent/child dyads, we found associations between parent activation and primary care outcomes only among Spanish-language dyads and only for weight and health status. Findings from 21 interviews provided possible explanations for quantitative findings including question limitations in assessing knowledge, skills, and confidence in pediatric primary care and P-PAM cultural and linguistic appropriateness for low-income Latino populations. CONCLUSIONS: Pairing quantitative and qualitative methods provided insight on P-PAM measurement limitations and raised questions about its use in patient engagement interventions to reduce health disparities. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Practices serving vulnerable children and families should consider the limitations of the P-PAM for measuring parent healthcare engagement before utilizing the P-PAM in patient engagement interventions.