Using digital media to disseminate health info may not be feasible or effective in sub-Saharan countries with low access to digital devices, further disadvantaging those without access.
Dongqing Wang, an assistant professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, recently evaluated adolescents’ access to digital media and devices, such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, social media, and the internet in a study published in Maternal & Child Nutrition. The most common method of access was through using another person’s phone.
The goal of global health is to improve health outcomes for marginalised groups and communities around the world.
All participating nations used social media infrequently. The results indicated that delivering health and nutrition interventions to adolescents could be done through digital mechanisms. Using digital media to disseminate health information may not be feasible or effective in sub-Saharan countries with low access to digital devices, further disadvantaging those without access.
Access to digital media and devices varies significantly between settings, according to Wang. “Providing digital interventions in this specific setting presents a challenge due to the limited availability of digital media and devices among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.”
The need for more research on how to do this is acknowledged by Wang, who is a strong supporter of removing the obstacles posed by inaccessible technologies. By enhancing health education and reducing inequalities, digital interventions, according to Wang, have a significant potential to support the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Adolescents between the ages of 10 and 15 self-reported their access to digital media and devices as part of a multi-country, school-based survey that yielded Wang’s findings. Mobile phone ownership rates varied from 3 to 40% among participants from Burkina Faso, South Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, highlighting the wide disparity in access to digital technology.
The study also identifies important variables that are associated with having access to digital media and devices, including wealthier households, homes with higher maternal education levels, and adolescent boys as opposed to adolescent girls.