Mobile health and behavior tracking (mHBT) among cancer survivors: results from a large and diverse sample.

Abstract

This study investigates the prevalence of mobile health and behavior tracking (mHBT) among a large and diverse sample of cancer survivors in the United States focusing on different mHBT adoption based on socio-demographic factors. Data was drawn from the 2020 to 2021 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), which over-sampled cancer survivors from three cancer registries. Data analyses revealed that out of 1,234 cancer survivors studied, 39% had adopted mHBT, with 52% of these users engaging in daily tracking. A significant majority (86%) mHBT users were willing to share their data with healthcare providers. Notably, mHBT adoption was independently associated with younger age, female gender, college education, and better perceived health; but it was not significantly associated with race, income level, or state of residence after controlling for confounders. Cancer survivors' high rates of mHBT use and willingness to share data suggest the potential of using patient-generated data for personalized care and monitoring. However, caution is needed to address the digital divide and its impact on health disparities.