视障中老年人的移动健康技术体验：横断面访谈研究

mHealth Technology Experiences of Middle-Aged and Older Individuals With Visual Impairments: Cross-Sectional Interview Study.

作者信息

Choi Soyoung, Sajib Md Refat Uz Zaman, Manzano Jenna, Chlebek Christian Joseph

机构信息

Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.

出版信息

JMIR Form Res. 2023 Dec 25;7:e52410. doi: 10.2196/52410.

DOI:10.2196/52410

PMID:38145472

原文链接:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10775026/

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Current mobile health (mHealth) technology is predominantly designed with a visual orientation, often resulting in user interfaces that are inaccessible to visually impaired users. While mHealth technology offers potential for facilitating chronic illness management and enhancing health behaviors among visually impaired older populations, understanding its usage remains limited.

OBJECTIVE

This qualitative research aimed to explore the mHealth technology experiences of middle-aged and older individuals with visual impairments including the accessibility and usability issues they faced.

METHODS

The qualitative exploration was structured using the mHealth for Older Users framework. Cross-sectional interviews were conducted via Zoom between June 1 and July 31, 2023, using an interview protocol for data collection. A thematic analysis approach was employed to analyze the transcribed interview scripts.

RESULTS

Of the 7 participants who took part in the Zoom interviews, 3 were men and 4 were women, with ages ranging from 53 to 70 years. Most participants adopted mHealth apps and wearable devices for promoting health. They exhibited 3 distinct adoption patterns. Seven themes were emerged from the perceived challenges in using mHealth technologies: (1) a scarcity of accessible user manuals, (2) user interfaces that are not visually impaired-friendly, (3) health data visualizations that are not accessible, (4) unintuitive arrangement of app content, (5) health information that is challenging to comprehend, (6) cognitive overload caused by an excess of audible information, and (7) skepticism regarding the accuracy of health records. mHealth technologies seem to positively affect the health and health management of participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Design considerations for mHealth technologies should consider individuals' disabilities and chronic conditions and should emphasize the importance of providing accessible manuals and training opportunities when introducing new mHealth solutions.

摘要

背景

当前的移动健康（mHealth）技术主要以视觉为导向进行设计，这常常导致视障用户无法使用其用户界面。虽然移动健康技术为促进慢性病管理和增强视障老年人群的健康行为提供了潜力，但对其使用情况的了解仍然有限。

目的

这项定性研究旨在探索视障中老年人使用移动健康技术的体验，包括他们所面临的可及性和可用性问题。

方法

采用针对老年用户的移动健康框架进行定性探索。2023年6月1日至7月31日期间，通过Zoom进行横断面访谈，使用访谈提纲收集数据。采用主题分析法分析转录后的访谈脚本。

结果

参与Zoom访谈的7名参与者中，3名男性，4名女性，年龄在53岁至70岁之间。大多数参与者采用移动健康应用程序和可穿戴设备来促进健康。他们呈现出3种不同的采用模式。从使用移动健康技术所感知到的挑战中浮现出7个主题：（1）缺乏可访问的用户手册，（2）对视障用户不友好的用户界面，（3）无法访问的健康数据可视化，（4）应用程序内容的布局不直观，（5）难以理解的健康信息，（6）过多的语音信息导致认知过载，（7）对健康记录准确性的怀疑。移动健康技术似乎对参与者的健康和健康管理产生了积极影响。