Socio-demographic Determinants of Mobile Technology Use and Digital Inclusion among Rural Women in Ondo State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to investigate the women’s perception of the effects of Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) on their livelihood activities in Ondo State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to randomly select 120 respondents from three benefitting Local Government Areas in the state. Primary data were collected with the aid of interview schedule and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean as well as Chi square. The mean age of the respondents was 42 years. Most (70.8%) of the respondents were married with mean household size of 6 persons, were ordinary members of social groups (73.3%) and were farmers (46.7%) with and a mean monthly income of ₦18,000.00. Most (60.2%) of the respondents had agricultural value chain activities as their livelihood activities. The study revealed that the respondents had positive perception of CSDP projects such as construction of; potable water supply project (4.01), road/bridge (4.04), health and maternity centre (4.01), community hall/viewing centre (4.06), skill acquisition centre (4.21), market (4.10). There was a significant association between CSDP micro-projects and selected livelihood activities such as crop production (χ2Cal =13.2), livestock production (χ2 Cal =39.8), farm produce processing (χ2Cal =4.3), gathering of wood (χ2Cal =5.4), petty trade (χ2Cal =21.0) and gathering of non-timber products (χ2Cal =4.6). Women’s perception of effects of CSDP projects on their livelihood activities was favourable. Therefore, the study recommends that development strategies and plan should be well structured by the government to improve the livelihood activities of women especially agriculture for improved income and livelihoods.

The Nigerian food insecurity situation is still described as appalling despite a number of efforts geared towards addressing the problem. Fundamental to the phenomenon of poverty and food insecurity in Nigeria at national, community and household levels are issues of livelihood and agro-ecological diversity. This study investigates the linkage between food poverty and livelihood activities, capabilities and assets; and socio-economic factors; and agro-ecological variations at the household level in rural Nigeria. The study makes use of nation-wide cross-sectional data of the Nigerian Living Standard Survey (NLSS). Results show that, on the whole, farming is the predominant livelihood activity. The distribution of livelihood activities clearly shows that the primary sector of livelihood activities (farming and mining - extraction) is predominantly occupied by men, while the secondary sector (manufacturing - processing) and the tertiary sector (services - trade) are quite favoured by women. Female-headed households are more food secure than their male counterpart. The main determinants of rural household food poverty in Nigeria are: livelihood activities-farming; livelihood capabilities- credit access; socio-economic factors - household size, years of formal education, marital status and age of household head; and agro-ecological variation. The study, therefore, suggests that food security policy that is agro-ecologically specific, with gender-oriented development of primary livelihood (farming) activities should be given paramount attention in the rural sector of Nigeria.

The study examined the water sanitation facilities utilization among the rural households of south west Nigeria. The study specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of the rural household heads; identified various sources of water supply and their providers; examined the rural household heads’ knowledge of water source contamination; examined respondents’ awareness of adequate water treatment methods and the awareness of waterborne disease. The population of the study comprised of all the rural households in Ondo and Oyo States in Southwestern of Nigeria. The sampling procedure employed was multistage sampling technique to select 355 household heads comprising a total of 167 rural household considered out of 278 rural households from the selected cells in Oyo state while a total of 188 rural household heads selected out of 314 rural household heads from the selected cells in Ondo State for the study. The data for the study were analyzed with descriptive statistics such as frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation while inferential statistical tool such as logistic regression analysis model
 The mean age of the respondents from Ondo State was 47 years while that of respondents from Oyo State was 45 years. Rain water collection was the major source of improved water supply from Ondo State (87.4%) and Oyo State (86.7%). In both Ondo and Oyo States, the knowledge of water source contamination is still on moderate level. Households in Ondo State (WMS = 2.98) and Oyo State (WMS = 2.91) were more aware of boiling of water as the major adequate water treatment methods. In both states, the awareness of adequate water treatment methods is still on moderate level. In both States, the awareness of water-borne diseases is still on moderate level, majority had favourable attitude towards utilization of water sanitation facilities while the level of utilization of water sanitation facilities is still on moderate level. The result of the Regression analysis model indicated that years of schooling (t=-3.758***; p=0.000) and households’ size (t=-2.089**; p=0.037) were significantly related to utilization of water sanitation facilities.
 It was therefore concluded that the utilization of water sanitation facilities was influenced by income level, knowledge of water source contamination, awareness of adequate water treatment methods, awareness of water-borne diseases, household size. The local council being the agency saddled with water provision, should be more empowered in terms of resources and facilities in order to be able to do their work of water provision and water sanitation information dissemination effectively

The study assessed the socio-economic factors influencing rural women’s involvement in informal economic activities (IEDS) in southwest, Nigeria. It describes the socio-economic characteristics of the rural women, identify the IEAs rural women involved in, determine the level of involvement of the rural women in IEAs and identity the constraints to the involvement of rural women in IEAs in the study area. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 120 respondents. Data were collected through structured interview schedule and same were subjected to descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, mean standard devaluation and rank while correlation and chi-square analyses were the inferential tools used. The results show that the mean age of the rural women involved in IEAs was 36.5 years. Majority (87.5%) were married while the mean household size was 5. Also 92.5% of the respondents had formal education and this indicates that the majority could read and write. The mean annual income of the rural women was N168.223.99. Some of the major IEAs which rural women involved in fully are: food fending (x̄=2.2), petty trading (x̄=2.00), hawking (x̄=1.9), sales of farm produce (x̄=1.6) and sales of fruits alone (x̄=1.5). The results of the correlation analysis show that age (r=0.209) and household size (r=0.1412) had significant relationship with the level of involvement of rural women in IEAs. Furthermore, the results of the chi-square (χ2) analysis show that religion (χ2=33.750), marital status (χ2=184.15), educational status (χ2=500.43), credit accessibility (χ2=92.951) and membership of social organization (χ2=249.61) had significant relationships with the level of involvement of rural women in IEAs. It was recommended that government should provide adequate fund in form of loans through cooperative or social organizations to the rural women to boost their IEAs.

BackgroundThe rapid growth in the use of mobile technology in Australia has outpaced its governance, especially in healthcare settings. Whilst some Australian professional bodies and organisations have developed standards and guidelines to direct appropriate use of social media and mobile technology, clear governance arrangements regarding when, where and how to use mobile technology at point of care in nursing are currently lacking.DiscussionThis paper analyses how the use of mobile technology by nurses at point of care is governed. It highlights the existence of a mobile technology paradox: an identified inability of nurses to access mobile technology in a context where it is increasingly recognised that its use in situ can enhance nursing practice while contributing to mobile learning and continuing professional development. While the recent release of the Registered Nurse Standards for Practice and accompanying Standard for Continuing Professional Development provides some direction regarding professional standards to support the use of mobile technology for mobile learning, we argue a more inclusive approach is required if emerging technologies are to be fully embraced. We describe how an implementation framework, underpinned by more detailed standards, guidelines and codes, could enable the nursing profession to be leaders in embedding mobile technology in healthcare environments nationally and globally.ConclusionThe prevalence of mobile technology in Australia has outpaced its governance in healthcare environments. Its limited availability at point of care is hindering nursing practice, mobile learning and continuing professional development. We discuss the emergence of mobile technology and impediments for its use by nurses in situ. We analyse the professional codes governing nursing, outlining potential reforms to enable implementation of mobile technology at point of care by nurses.

BACKGROUND: The advent of personalised cell phones and mobile technology has created an increasing desire to integrate these resources into the care of pediatric patients with diabetes. Adolescents in particular often have poor diabetes self-management practises and fail to meet glyce-mic targets. Mobile technology use is prevalent among adolescents and the idea of using this technology to assist with diabetes self-care is appealing. However, integrating this technology into clinical practice is challenging and many practitioners do notknow where to start. OBJECTIVES: To describe the use, benefits, and limitations of mobile technology in diabetes care among adolescents and their parents, and to assess if mobile technology use is linked to lower HbA1c levels. DESIGN/METHODS: This cross sectional study involved adolescents age 11-18 years and their parents who were recruited during their regular diabetes patient care visits at two separate pediatric diabetes centres. Patients and parents completed a questionnaire designed by study authors. Patients' two most recent HbA1c levels were recorded following survey completion. RESULTS: 100 adolescents and 80 parents completed the questionnaire. Device ownership was high, with 89% of adolescents and 100% of parents owning at least 1 device. Only one third of the cohort reported using mobile technology for their diabetes care. The commonest reason for non-use was lack of awareness of apps for diabetes care (53% adolescents, 60% parents). Among mobile technology users, texting and calculation were the most frequently used apps. Apps for calorie and carb counting were also frequently used, among which CalorieKing™ was the highest reported (44% adolescents; 47% parents). Insulin pump specific programs including Diasend® and Medtronic CareLink® were reported by 14.8% adolescents and 14.3% parents. The average HbA1c for the entire cohort was 8.0%, with no statistically significant difference between adolescent mobile technology users and non-users (7.8% vs 8.3%; p=0.22). However, mean HbA1c was found to be lower among those adolescents whose parents used mobile technology for their management (7.6 % vs 8.2 %; p=0.04). CONCLUSION: Only a minority of adolescents use mobile technology for their diabetes care, and lack of awareness was the major barrier to mobile technology use. Basic smartphone functions including texting and calculation were the most cited apps used. Parental technology use was associated with improved glycemic control. Considering the widespread use of mobile technology among young people, there remains untapped potential for greater use of this technology towards improved self-care in adolescents with diabetes.

This study aims to examine information literacy (IL) and the use of mobile technologies in the educational sphere by a sample of social sciences undergraduate students (N = 1,390). The study used the MOBILE-APPS questionnaire, which is a scale for measuring students’ perceptions regarding information literacy (both the institutional and as a personal dimension), the threshold concepts of the ACRL Framework and the use of ICT and mobile technologies in learning contexts. The survey was distributed to a sample of four universities and eight Social Sciences degrees in Spain. A descriptive, inferential, and multivariate study is performed, regarding age, course, gender, and degree. The results show that student perception is higher concerning the personal dimension of IL; most of the students are unaware of the threshold concepts of the ACRL Framework , and responses are very heterogeneous in relation to the use of ICT and mobile technologies. An MDS-clustering strategy regarding the diverse degrees that participate in the study is also provided, to grasp a disciplinary view. From the diagnosis developed in this research, some recommendations for teaching activity in IL as well as implications for academic libraries are provided.

Media Reporting, Mobility and Trauma

Mobile learning through the use of mobile wireless technology allows anyone to access information and learning materials from anywhere around the globe. Mobile learning, through the use of mobile technology, will allow the users to access learning materials and information from anywhere, at any time at any cost. With mobile learning, students will be empowered because they can learn when and where they want to. They can use wireless mobile technology for formal and informal learning, where they can access personalized and additional learning materials from the Internet or from the host organization. This document is timely because there is significant growth in the use of mobile technology by people around the world, especially in developing countries. This study shows how mobile learning can transform the delivery of education and training.

Tilapia fish production is not as popular as catfish production. Therefore, in support of the drive of the Federal Government to boost fish production, this study determined the factors affecting tilapia fish production in Ondo and Ekiti States. Primary data were collected from 120 Tilapia fish farmers and researchers using random and multi stage sampling techniques (seventy from Ondo State and fifty from Ekiti State). Most (70%) Tilapia farmers are male, Ninety percent are married and majority (51.7%) has household size with 2-5 members. Gross Margin analysis showed a profit of 11.79%. Regression result showed that cost of equipment, cost of feed, farming experience, household size and pond size were factors affecting Tilapia fish production with 0.28, 0.42, 0.08, 0.02 and 0.00 as coefficients, respectively, and were all significant at 5% level of significance. The p- value (0.742) of the Chi square test revealed that income of the Tilapia fish farmer has no significant relationship with contact with extension agents. The study recommends that agricultural extension services should be strengthened to ensure more farmers receive more visits from extension agents. Government of both Ondo and Ekiti states should provide funds and inputs to boost the productive capacity of farmers. Keywords: Tilapia, productive capacity, constraints, profitability, production and factors

The study examined the Attitude of rural households of south west Nigeria towards utilization of water sanitation facilities the study specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of the rural household heads; identified various sources of water supply and their providers; determined the attitude of respondents to the utilization of water sanitation facilities and identified the constraints to water sanitation facilities utilization. The population of the study comprised of all the rural households in Ondo and Oyo States in Southwestern of Nigeria. The sampling procedure employed was multistage sampling technique to select 355 household heads comprising a total of 167 rural household considered out of 278 rural households from the selected cells in Oyo state while a total of 188 rural household heads selected out of 314 rural household heads from the selected cells in Ondo State for the study. The data for the study were analyzed with descriptive statistics such as frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation while inferential statistical tools such as logistic regression analysis model and Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis.
 The result revealed a mean age of the respondents from Ondo State was 47 years while that of respondents from Oyo State was 45 years. Rain water collection was the major source of improved water supply from Ondo State (87.4%) and Oyo State (86.7%). Majority had favourable attitude towards utilization of water sanitation facilities while the level of utilization of water sanitation facilities is still on moderate level. The result of the Regression analysis model indicated that years of schooling (t=-3.758***; p=0.000) and households’ size (t=-2.089**; p=0.037) were significantly related to utilization of water sanitation facilities. It was therefore concluded that the utilization of water sanitation facilities was influenced by income level, household size and people’s attitude/disposition towards water sanitation facilities. Since income level is a strong determinant of utilization of water sanitation facilities, there is need to make credit available to the rural households in case of breakdown of the facilities to enable immediate repairs thereby enhancing their health and utilization level

BackgroundEmerging evidence indicates mobile technology–based strategies may improve access to secondary prevention and reduce risk factors in cardiac patients. However, little is known about cardiac patients’ use of mobile technology, particularly for health reasons and whether the usage varies across patient demographics.ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe cardiac patients’ use of mobile technology and to determine variations between age groups after adjusting for education, employment, and confidence with using mobile technology.MethodsCardiac patients eligible for attending cardiac rehabilitation were recruited from 9 hospital and community sites across metropolitan and rural settings in New South Wales, Australia. Participants completed a survey on the use of mobile technology devices, features used, confidence with using mobile technology, willingness and interest in learning, and health-related use.ResultsThe sample (N=282) had a mean age of 66.5 (standard deviation [SD] 10.6) years, 71.9% (203/282) were male, and 79.0% (223/282) lived in a metropolitan area. The most common diagnoses were percutaneous coronary intervention (33.3%, 94/282) and myocardial infarction (22.7%, 64/282). The majority (91.1%, 257/282) used at least one type of technology device, 70.9% (200/282) used mobile technology (mobile phone/tablet), and 31.9% (90/282) used all types. Technology was used by 54.6% (154/282) for health purposes, most often to access information on health conditions (41.4%, 117/282) and medications (34.8%, 98/282). Age had an important independent association with the use of mobile technology after adjusting for education, employment, and confidence. The youngest group (<56 years) was over 4 times more likely to use any mobile technology than the oldest (>69 years) age group (odds ratio [OR] 4.45, 95% CI 1.46-13.55), 5 times more likely to use mobile apps (OR 5.00, 95% CI 2.01-12.44), and 3 times more likely to use technology for health-related reasons (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.34-8.18). Compared with the older group, the middle age group (56-69 years) was more than twice as likely to use any mobile technology (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.27-4.59) and mobile technology for health-related purposes (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.04-3.53). Participants who had completed high school were twice as likely to use mobile technology (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.45-4.70), mobile apps (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.09-3.84), and mobile technology for health-related reasons (OR 5.09, 95% CI 2.89-8.95) than those who had not completed high school. Associations were also present between participants living in metropolitan areas and mobile technology use (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.07-4.24) and employment and mobile app use (OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.44-5.140).ConclusionsMobile technology offers an important opportunity to improve access to secondary prevention for cardiac patients, particularly when modified to suit subgroups. High levels of mobile technology use and health motivation need to be harnessed for secondary prevention.

Background: Malaysia continues to have a high incidence of cervical cancer with a relatively high mortality rate due to late presentation. Pilot Project R.O.S.E was a cross-sectional study to assess acceptability, feasibility and reach of a cervical screening strategy that utilizes self-collected, point-of-care HPV testing in primary care settings. Within this study, mobile SMS technology was used to register patients into a cervical screening registry and to deliver the HPV test results. Aim: To assess the feasibility, acceptability, advantages and limitations of the use of mobile SMS technology to deliver HPV screening test results. Methods: Invitation for cervical screening was offered to women aged 30 to 65 years who are presenting to these clinics for care, or accompanying another individual. Upon agreeing to do the test, the nurse registered the woman's details and mobile number. A mobile phone verification SMS is triggered at this point. HPV results were delivered to women via mobile SMS within 3 working days. Phone-based surveys were conducted on randomly selected screened positives and screened negative women to ascertain acceptability of the screening and the usage of mobile technology. Results: Ninety percent of participants received their SMS results without any hitches. Ten percent of participants experienced problems with receiving their results SMS. Further investigations revealed that there were various reasons for message delivery failure. Posttest surveys revealed that majority of participants were satisfied with the use of mobile technology to receive HPV screening test results. Conclusion: This study suggests that the use of mobile SMS technology for delivery of HPV screening test results is feasible and acceptable. However, measures should be taken to overcome technology related failures. The findings of this implementation research may help to inform the design of future mobile SMS technology usage within health settings in Malaysia.

BackgroundLong-term care (LTC) homes provide 24-hour care for people living with complex care needs. LTC staff assist older adults living with chronic conditions such as Alzheimer disease, related dementias, and stroke, which can cause communication disorders. In addition to the complex cognitive challenges that can impact communication, further difficulties can arise from cultural-language differences between care staff and residents. Breakdowns in caregiver-resident communication can negatively impact the delivery of person-centered care. Recent advances in mobile technology, specifically mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) and their software apps, offer innovative solutions for supporting everyday communication between care staff and residents. To date, little is known about the care staff’s perspectives on the different ways that mobile technology could be used to support communication with residents.ObjectiveThis study aims to identify care staff’s perspectives on the different ways of using devices and apps to support everyday communication with adults living in LTC homes and the priority care areas for using mobile technology to support communication with residents.MethodsThis descriptive study employed concept mapping methods to explore care staff’s perspectives about ways of using mobile technology with residents and to identify the usefulness, practicality, and probable uses of mobile technology to support communication in priority care areas. Concept mapping is an integrated mixed methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) that uses a structured process to identify priority areas for planning and evaluation. In total, 13 care staff from a single LTC home participated in this study. Concept mapping includes 2 main data collection phases: (1) statement generations through brainstorming and (2) statement structuring through sorting and rating. Brainstorming took place in person in a group session, whereas sorting and rating occurred individually after the brainstorming session. Concept mapping data were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis to generate numerous interpretable data maps and displays.ResultsParticipants generated 67 unique statements during the brainstorming session. Following the sorting and rating of the statements, a concept map analysis was performed. In total, 5 clusters were identified: (1) connect, (2) care management, (3) facilitate, (4) caregiving, and (5) overcoming barriers. Although all 5 clusters were rated as useful, with a mean score of 4.1 to 4.5 (Likert: 1-5), the care staff rated cluster 2 (care management) as highest on usefulness, practicality, and probable use of mobile technology to support communication in LTC.ConclusionsThis study provided insight into the viewpoints of care staff regarding the different ways mobile technology could be used to support caregiver-resident communication in LTC. Our findings suggest that care management, facilitating communication, and overcoming barriers are 3 priority target areas for implementing mobile health interventions to promote person-centered care and resident-centered care.

The use of personal mobile technologies has grown in recent years, providing a method for collecting high-frequency and high-quality data on human behaviors and states, amongst the others, on stress levels. Mobile technologies can play a significant role in peer-based stress assessment, particularly in e-mental health and well-being. It is accessible, convenient, and reliable compared to traditional self-report methods, making it a popular choice for collecting data. This systematic literature review aimed to explore the use of mobile technologies for peer-based assessment of stress. We analyzed existing literature to understand how mobile technologies have been used to assess stress levels through peer feedback—from relatives, friends, or others with close and daily contact with the individual. The results of the review showed that mobile technologies have the potential to be a valuable tool for peer-based stress assessment, as they can provide real-time and convenient data collection. However, although its popularity has grown in recent years, it is worth noting that the use of paper and pen questionnaires has remained prevalent in peer-based stress assessment over the last decade. This indicates that there is still a need for further exploration and evaluation of the benefits and limitations of both methods.