Abstract
BackgroundSouth Asian community members in Canada experience a higher burden of chronic disease than the general population. Digital health innovations provide a significant opportunity to address various health care challenges such as supporting patients in their disease self-management. However, South Asian community members are less likely to use digital tools for their health and face significant barriers in accessing them because of language or cultural factors.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to understand the barriers to and facilitators of digital health tool uptake experienced by South Asian community members residing in Canada.MethodsThis study used a qualitative community-based participatory action research approach. Residents from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, who spoke 1 of 4 South Asian languages (Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, or Tamil) were invited to participate in focus group discussions. A subsample of the participants were invited to use photovoice methods in greater depth to explore the research topics.ResultsA total of 197 participants consented to the focus group discussions, with 12 (6.1%) participating in the photovoice phase. The findings revealed several key obstacles (older age, lack of education, and poor digital health literacy) and facilitators (social support from family or community members and positive attitudes toward technology) to using digital health tools.ConclusionsThe results support the value of using a community-based participatory action research approach and photovoice methods to engage the South Asian community in Canada to better understand digital health competencies and needs. There were several important implications for policy makers and future research, such as continued engagement of community leaders by health care providers and administrators to learn about attitudes and preferences.
Highlights
BackgroundThe South Asian population is one of the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority groups in Canada, comprising nearly 2 million individuals (5.6% of the general population) in 2016 and increasing annually [1]
South Asian immigrants experience a higher burden of chronic diseases than the general population [2,3], tend to have more risk factors for chronic diseases [4,5], and face many challenges accessing tools to prevent chronic disease and manage their health conditions [6,7]
The prevalence and widespread availability of digital health innovations provide a significant opportunity for addressing various health care challenges [10]
Summary
BackgroundThe South Asian population is one of the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority groups in Canada, comprising nearly 2 million individuals (5.6% of the general population) in 2016 and increasing annually [1]. There is a pressing need to address barriers to health care access for South Asian community members [8] and reduce health inequities [9]. Digital health innovations provide a significant opportunity to address various health care challenges such as supporting patients in their disease self-management. South Asian community members are less likely to use digital tools for their health and face significant barriers in accessing them because of language or cultural factors. Objective: The aim of this study is to understand the barriers to and facilitators of digital health tool uptake experienced by South Asian community members residing in Canada. Conclusions: The results support the value of using a community-based participatory action research approach and photovoice methods to engage the South Asian community in Canada to better understand digital health competencies and needs. There were several important implications for policy makers and future research, such as continued engagement of community leaders by health care providers and administrators to learn about attitudes and preferences
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