Role Of Mobile Phones Research Articles

Mobile phones as mediators of health behavior change in cardiovascular disease in developing countries.

The global burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is becoming a growing problem in developing countries. Successful self-management of CVD is dependent on a multitude of factors, including social support, communication with health care providers, careful monitoring, and other determinants. The growing market penetration and the communication properties of mobile phones create opportunities for innovation in promoting CVD self-management through support of lifestyle and behavior modification. Mobile phones support various modes of communication and interaction, have fewer adoption barriers, and are more prevalent than other available technologies in developing countries. However, mobile phone interventions are not without many challenges such as mobile infrastructure, electric infrastructure, access to mobile devices, and appropriate user interfaces for interaction. In this paper, we discuss current evidence as well as research opportunities to explore the role of mobile phones in supporting behavior modification in developing countries.

Beyond 911: Medical applications of mobile phones

Researchers and entrepreneurs discuss developments in the role of mobile phones for medical imaging and monitoring.

Anthropological Perspective on Democratizing Education through Mobile Phones in India: A Qualitative Study in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh, India

Education is often seen as the key agency in development and poverty reduction. Two powerful trends are shaping the future of India's economic growth and cultural fabric, firstly the increased demand for quality education and secondly, the rise of mobile technology. In a country of 1.2 billion people, 54% are currently below 25 years of age and in need of K-12 schooling and higher education and as many as 47 million people will enter workforce by 2020, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation. India's illiteracy rate has dropped from 35% to 26% between 2001 and 2011 while the higher education sector is expected to grow at 18% until 2020. Despite these advances, however, much work remains to ensure greater access to higher quality education. This paper investigates the accessibility and attractiveness of different types of ICT applications in education, with special focus on mobile phones applications. Mobile device has arguable impacted India in ways unlikely by any other technology by its penetration to almost entire segment of society. Over 865 million people have mobile phones compared to 80 million personal computers (PC's) in India. The aim of this study is to scrutinise the process in which ICT-supported methods for learning can be introduced, used and disseminated through mobile education. The study was undertaken in Dharamshala town of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh on students in age group 13–18, studying in 9th to 12th standard in government school. The study attempts to analyse the role of mobile phones in lives of students in present day context, the extent and kind of use. Also, what is their perception of mobile as a method of learning? Interesting findings came out of the study including a huge difference in gender preferences and the perceptions of use among students that can be crucial in policy formation.

Where do Investments in Telecoms Come from? Developing and Testing a Framework of Sustained Economic Impact of Investments in Information and Communication Technologies

The framework of neoclassical growth accounting is widely used to estimate the impact of investments in information and communication technologies (ICT) on the macroeconomic bottom line. Results of multiple investigations presented evidence that investments in ICT have a positive impact on such measure of macroeconomic outcome as gross domestic product. Thus, it is not surprising that less developed countries of the world often turn to investments to ICT as one of the sources of a sustained economic development. But sustainability of economic growth is predicated on the sustainability of the sources of growth, such as investment capital and labor. The question of how annual investments in ICT are sustained is an important one, and yet it was not given much research consideration. This is, in part, due to the absence of a theoretically sound framework outlining mechanisms of investments → outcomes → reinvestments process. In this study, we synthesize a consistent with the framework of neoclassical growth accounting model allowing for investigating the process by which various microeconomic outcomes of investments in ICT are associated with re-investments in ICT. We test the proposed model using techniques of structural equation modeling with the data on investments in telecoms (a common subset of investments in ICT) in the context of transition economies. The results of the investigation support the notion of cyclical relationship between investments in ICT and economic outcomes [Qureshi, S. (2013). What is the role of mobile phones in bringing about growth? Information Technology for Development, 19(1), 1–4] and offer valuable insights to decision- and policy-makers tasked with the responsibility of improving the impact of investments in ICT.

The Role of Mobile Phones in Adolescent T1DM: A Review of the Literature

Adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) often struggle with the requirements of diabetes management and treatment regimen adherence, leading to poor glycemic control and self-management (Kovacs, Goldston, Obrosky, and Iyengar, 1992; Rausch et al., 2012). Many interventions have been proposed to help adolescents improve glycemic control and self-management, but despite these interventions, optimal control continues to be a challenge. Over the past decade, the use of mobile phones to improve diabetes management among adolescents has come to the forefront.More than three fourths of teens have cell phones, almost half of which are smartphones (Madden, Lenhart, Duggan, Cortesi, and Gasser, 2013). The majority of teens have some type of mobile app on their phone, and almost 90% use their phones to send and receive text messages (Lenhart, Ling, Campbell, and Purcell, 2010; Madden, Lenhart, Cortesi, and Gasser, 2013). With mobile phone use becoming so widespread and common among adolescents, mobile-phone-based interventions (MPBIs) could address some of the challenges adolescents with T1DM face on a daily basis. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on MPBIs in adolescents with T1DM and determine their efficacy in improving glycemic control and self-management.

The Possible Role of Mobile Phones in Spreading Microorganisms in Hospitals

Mobile phones belonging to healthcare workers and inpatients represent a potential source of microorganisms, some being well-known sources of hospital infections. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of contamination of the hands and mobile phones of healthcare workers and inpatients. The study comprised 200 healthcare workers and 100 inpatients of the University Hospital in Messina (Italy) between April 1 and June 31, 2013. Bacterial contamination was detected on 230 mobile phones (76.6%) and on 250 hands (83.3%). The most frequently isolated bacteria belonged to the Staphylococcus genus. For hospital staff, 78% of mobile phones and 86% of hands were found to be contaminated. Similar results were obtained for inpatients whose mobile phones tested positive in 74% of cases, while for hands the rate was 78%. These findings are in line with international literature and demonstrate that routine everyday use of mobile phones by healthcare workers and inpatients represents an important vehicle of contamination since potentially pathogenic agents, capable of causing nosocomial infections, can pass from the telephone to the hands and vice versa.

Mobile phones in children’s after-school centres: stretching of place and control

This article discusses the influence of virtual mobility on place. It examines the use of mobile phones in an after-school centre in Helsinki, Finland and the role of mobile phones in negotiations on space, control and boundaries. It investigates the function of the mobile phone in the coordination of children’s mobility in and out of the centre. It shows how the children make use of the capacity of mobile phones to connect to people and places physically separate for mobilising parental support by phone and use it as a resource in resolving conflicts in the centre. It shows how the different uses of the mobile phone grow into negotiations on the boundaries and space of the centre and cause tensions regarding the identities of the place.

THE M IN FUTURE

What next?Rajesh Chandy and Kamalini Ramdas look to the future role of mobile phones in changing the world and provide a blueprint for what needs to change to make this a reality.

The future is in our hands: The role of mobile phones in the prevention and management of mental disorders

The future is in our hands: The role of mobile phones in the prevention and management of mental disorders

The Role of Mobile Phones in the Spread of Bacteria Associated with Nosocomial Infections

Mobile phones have become an ind ispensable part of our lives. Due to their extensive usage and variety of applic a- tions it is not restricted to any co mmunity or social group but is now popular to all. Besides offering plenty of advantages they also serve as fomite in the process of infection spread. The source fro m where they acquire these microorganisms is our skin and it is matter of concern if the indiv idual is harboring infection, which is specifically mo re vulnerab le in hospital settings. One hundred and twenty nine mobiles of health care workers were screened for the presence of any bacteria or fungi. Simult a- neously forty mobiles were included as controls sample. Mobiles harboring microbes were decontaminated with 70% isopr o- pylalcohol and a repeat sampling was considered for these disinfected mobiles. All the bacterial isolates were tested for their sensitivity towards various antimicrobial agents. Out of 129 samples 34% were colonized with bacteria or fungi. Staphylococcus aureus being the most common isolate of these bacteria. Twenty percent Staphylococcus aureus were methicillin resistan t Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).Contaminated mo- bile phones which were colonized with bacteria, after decontamination when repeat sampling was done, did not grow any ba c- teria.

NightWatch 2.0: The Role of Mobile Phones in Malaria BCC

NightWatch 2.0: The Role of Mobile Phones in Malaria BCC

Mobile phones in education: Challenges and opportunities for learning

The millennials use mobile phones on a daily basis to keep in touch with family and friends (Lenhart 2010). However, the role of mobile phones in education needs to be close examined as educators strive to incorporate mobile leaning devices in the classroom. Consequently, schools will not only need to evaluate their school curriculums but also recognize the power in the digital devices to engage, enable, and empower Gen-M and iGen learners. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide a rationale for the need for administrators to design guidelines for schools planning to adopt mobile phones in their curricula. Additionally, this article is intended to stimulate reflections on effective ways to adopt mobile phones in education to engage learners.

Role of Mobile Phone in Health Worker's Work Routine

India has recently experienced exponential growth in its telecommunications industry, reaching rural areas to a significant extent in the form of mobile phone. This study was undertaken to understand Female Health Worker's workload, their work flow, how they presently handle their work flow, and what support can the m-Health product offer to improve the efficiency of their work-flows. This study, carried out in 6 Primary Health Centers in Mysore district, confirmed the near universal availability and use of mobile phones by all health workers and a majority of their clients, providing further support to the proposed mHealth initiative that will be attempting to exploit the mobile phone technology to the fullest extent, going beyond calling and receiving calls, to make the health workers more productive and improving the quality of services they provide.

The Role of Mobile Phone in Farmers' Access of Extension Agricultural Knowledge Areas and Its Benefit in Kafr El-Wak Village, El-Behaira Governorate

The Role of Mobile Phone in Farmers' Access of Extension Agricultural Knowledge Areas and Its Benefit in Kafr El-Wak Village, El-Behaira Governorate

Investigating the extent to which mobile phones reduce Knowledge Transfer barriers in Student Project Teams

Group learning plays a key role in the transfer of knowledge. In institutions of learning, it enhances students’ understanding, critical thinking, integration of knowledge and knowledge sharing. However, the transfer of knowledge in group projects is often impeded by factors such as time and budget constraints, individual and social barriers, and a lack of motivation.Institutions of learning are increasingly adopting information and communication technologies (e.g. mobile technologies) to provide solutions to the challenges facing them. Whilst the integration of the mobile context and technologies in learning environment has been encouraged over the years, and indeed many students today can use mobile phones, the effectiveness of these technologies in reducing impediments to knowledge transfer in group learning has not been investigated.This study investigated the extent to which mobile phones reduce the barriers to knowledge transfer in project groups. The impediments examined include the nature of knowledge, social barriers, lack of time and lack of motivation. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to collect and analyse the data. The sample consisted of 85 students engaged in group projects in the departments of Information Systems, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Engineering.The results show that mobile phones reduce all four knowledge transfer barriers investigated in the project groups. We found no significant difference in the nature of knowledge shared by teams with weak and strong ties. This suggests that teams with weak social ties who normally experience difficulty sharing complex (tacit) knowledge can easily do so with the aid of mobile facilities. In addition, frequent users of mobile phones were motivated to share explicit knowledge with their peers whilst those who often work with tacit knowledge could convert it to explicit form and share it with others. Mobile features like short messaging service and multimedia messaging service (SMS & MMS or what some people refer to as ‘texting’), and email were mainly used to share knowledge and were perceived to reduce knowledge transfer time more than voice facilities.Our findings indicate that most students do not utilise the affordances of mobile phones for tacit knowledge transfer. Sharing of tacit knowledge needs to be encouraged since it allows individuals to achieve personal goals and may lead to effective management of oneself, other people and tasks. In addition, students do not appear to recognise the role of mobile phones in enhancing knowledge transfer. More awareness of this role needs to be created in institutions of learning in order to improve group learning and student performance.

Lines across the desert: mobile phone use and mobility in the context of trans-Saharan migration

In West and Northern Africa, mobile phone coverage has been expanding parallely to increased attempts by Africans to migrate overland to Europe. This paper explores possible links between the two phenomena, looking specifically into the role of mobile phones in trans-Saharan migration. It provides a first detailed description of the telecommunication processes underlying contemporary trans-Saharan migration. An analytical framework is presented that helps to explain how mobile phones facilitate migration by interacting with the social and spatial factors shaping migrants' mobility. By drawing on this framework and fieldwork conducted among Congolese migrants in Morocco, it is shown that the expansion of the communication infrastructure is, on the one hand, only one of several factors that have turned the region into a more “transitable” space. On the other hand, the use of mobile phones is demonstrated to be central to the migration process: migrants draw on the unprecedented accessibility of contacts equipped with mobile phones to tie together novel, geographically expansive networks. Phones are also shown to be used by migrants' “helpers” for the purpose of internal coordination. Thomas Molony is the accepting Guest Editor for this article.

Visual mobile communication, mediated presence and the politics of space

This article is a study on the role of mobile phones – particularly camera phones and photo messaging – in the management of social space, or what we like to call the ‘politics of space’. Our notion of social space is a metaphoric representation of the nature and intensity of the involvement that inspires the uses of mobile communication technology for interpersonal communication. We discuss three themes: the motives for communicating with photo messages, the role of visuality in visual mobile communication and the role of visual mobile communication in the politics of space. In our study, we apply the proxemic theory developed by Edward T. Hall and the ritual view of communication as defined by James W. Carey. Our empirical engagement with photo messaging as a communicative practice suggests at least two insights. First, it has all the traits of ritual communication. Second, the distinctive value of visual communication in this type of telecommunicative practice seems to consist mostly of mediated presence and the synchronicity of the gaze. We conclude that the mobile phone is an ambivalent technology for ambivalent desires: a tool for maintaining a feeling of presence in the state of absence while preserving the possibility for absence.

The Role of Mobile Phones in Family Communication

Whilst there is a wealth of research into family communication and family relationships, there is little information about whether (and if so how) mobile phones have impacted on these processes. The authors’ study involved individual semi‐structured interviews with 60 families, including parents/carers and young people aged 11–17, to investigate this further. The interviews explored how mobile phones are used in family communication; participants’ views about the benefits and disadvantages of mobile phone use; and issues around safety, surveillance and privacy. The findings show that young people and parents see mobiles as a key way for families to keep in touch, and to monitor and ensure young people’s safety. However, some participants felt there was a downside to this, in relation to some young people either withdrawing into their own social worlds, or having a false feeling of security as a result of having a mobile. Gender differences in views and usage were also found. The paper concludes with some general comments about the role of mobile phones in family life.

‘People Make Assumptions About Our Communities’: Sexual Health Amongst Teenagers from Black and Minority Ethnic Backgrounds in East London

Objectives . (1) To explore sexual behaviour and relationships amongst Black and minority ethnic (BME) teenagers in East London. (2) To examine how these relationships are shaped by culture, gender, peer norms and religion. (3) To describe the implications for sexual health policy and practice in urban, multicultural areas. Design . This report draws primarily on the qualitative arm of a mixed methods study which collected data from 126 young people, aged 15–18, largely through focus groups in the London boroughs of Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets. Results . Previous research has reported culture influencing the patterning of risk/protection amongst BME groups. Our data suggest that this is mediated by gender, religion and youth. Religion reportedly influenced young women's sexual behaviour in multiple ways. Young people described gendered norms in meeting and flirting with partners, and the role of mobile phones and peer pressure. Conclusion . Our paper suggests culture, gender, religion and youth influence BME teenagers in aspects of sexual relationships, and that these social markers may have different contextual meanings for individuals. The multiplicity of factors affecting attitudes/behaviour requires a range of contraceptive, counselling, screening and sex education services available for all teenagers, although delivery patterns may differ in response to differing needs.

Enacting new temporal boundaries: the role of mobile phones

This paper examines how the use of mobile phones influences the temporal boundaries that people enact in order to regulate and coordinate their work and non-work activities. We investigate both the structural and interpretive aspects of socio-temporal order, so as to gain a fuller appreciation of the changes induced by the use of mobile phones. With specific reference to professionals working in traditional, physically based and hierarchically structured organizations, we found that mobile phone users are becoming more vulnerable to organizational claims and that as a result ‘the office’ is always present as professionals, because of the use of mobile phones, become available ‘anytime’. This is enabled by the characteristics of the technology itself but also by users’ own behaviour. In the paper, we discuss the properties of the emerging socio-temporal order and show how mobile phones may render the management of the social spheres in which professionals participate more challenging.