Emerson Caroline, Koob Caitlin, Sease Kerry, Griffin Sarah
College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Bradshaw Institute for Community Child Health and Advocacy, Prisma Health, Greenville, SC, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2025 Jan 4. doi: 10.1007/s10803-024-06666-y.
Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at nearly twice the risk of experiencing obesity, compared to youth without ASD. Wellness Education to Create Healthy habits and Actions to Thrive (WE CHAT) is a novel chatbot that engages participants to enhance primary care delivery and associated care coordination services through mobile health (mHealth) technology focused on social determinants of health (SDOH) and social-emotional health. This study examines multiple perspectives regarding the development and implementation of innovative mHealth technology among youth with ASD. The phases of this study include (1) discussion among individuals and parents of children with ASD, (2) in-depth interviews with primary care providers (PCPs) who treat youth with ASD, and (3) in-depth interviews with interdisciplinary rehabilitation providers who treat youth with ASD. Phases 1 and 2 employed rapid qualitative analysis, and Phase 3 involved inductive thematic analysis to provide context to gaps identified in prior phases. Key themes across the three phases included the variability of symptoms among individuals with ASD, the differences in perceived value of mHealth technology, the importance of family-centered care, and the role of interdisciplinary support. Participants recommended the development of branching logic to increase the flexibility of mHealth technology designed for youth with ASD. This study gathered insight from multiple perspectives to identify opportunities for supporting independent participation in mHealth technology while reducing associated caregiver burden among youth with ASD. These findings may inform refinement and expansion of WE CHAT for patients with varying health needs.
与没有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的青少年相比，患有ASD的青少年肥胖风险几乎高出一倍。“通过健康习惯与行动实现茁壮成长的健康素养教育”（WE CHAT）是一款新型聊天机器人，它通过专注于健康的社会决定因素（SDOH）和社会情感健康的移动健康（mHealth）技术，促使参与者加强初级保健服务及相关的护理协调服务。本研究考察了关于在患有ASD的青少年中开发和实施创新mHealth技术的多个观点。本研究的阶段包括：（1）ASD患儿个体与其父母之间的讨论；（2）对治疗患有ASD青少年的初级保健提供者（PCP）进行深入访谈；（3）对治疗患有ASD青少年的跨学科康复提供者进行深入访谈。第1阶段和第2阶段采用快速定性分析，第3阶段采用归纳主题分析，为前几个阶段发现的差距提供背景信息。三个阶段的关键主题包括ASD个体症状的变异性、mHealth技术感知价值的差异、以家庭为中心的护理的重要性以及跨学科支持的作用。参与者建议开发分支逻辑，以提高为患有ASD的青少年设计的mHealth技术的灵活性。本研究从多个角度收集见解，以确定支持独立参与mHealth技术同时减轻患有ASD青少年相关照料者负担的机会。这些发现可能为根据不同健康需求的患者完善和扩展WE CHAT提供参考。
