141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

280097
Developing spanish-language tools promotores can use on mobile phones

Monday, November 4, 2013

Iana M. Simeonov , Schools of Pharmacy & Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Kristina M. Hamm, MPH , California Poison Control System, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Joshua Stein, MEd , University of California, School of Pharmacy, California Poison Control System, San Francisco, CA
Stuart Heard, PharmD , department of clinical pharmacy, ucsf school of pharmacy, san francisco, CA
A 2012 report by Nielsen, a leading global information company on consumer behavior, found Hispanics continue to be highly engaged in their usage of smartphones and online video. According to this study, Hispanics are 68% more likely to watch video online and on mobile phones than others.

In a series of 14 focus groups with consumers and community health workers (promotores) held to determine information needs and communications preferences, our findings showed similarly high usage of smartphones and partiality for video among low-income Hispanics. Farm workers were heavily reliant on mobile devices and used them as their sole gateway to the Internet. Promotores described routinely using cell phones in their work, criticized printed and text-heavy materials as inefficient and out-of-touch and complained about the lack of mobile-optimized teaching tools.

Our aim was to create tools that promotores would find useful in educating farm workers about pesticides safety. Based on these findings we developed a Spanish-language educational resource that relies primarily on video and is optimized for use on mobile devices; the first such resource of it's kind. A teaching curriculum based on principles of adult learning is supported by 10 short videos conceived and executed in Spanish. A mobile website hosts these and other resources, such as photos, key tips and links to additional information.

Hispanics are preeminent drivers of growth and trend setters for mobile phones and online video. Mobile presents a significant avenue of opportunity for health education but more useful vehicles for reaching Hispanics are needed.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Communication and informatics
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the use of mobile devices among low-income hispanics Identify how mobile fits into an overall education outreach strategy Discuss key factors related to contemporary teaching tools for promotores

Keywords: Communication Technology, Community Health Promoters

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Over 10 years of experience in research, program and development for underserved populations, multi-year APHA, NIH and CDC conference presenter, responsible for insights and innovation in mobile technology for research and practice at one of the top 5 medical schools in the U.S.Creator of bilingual text-messaging campaigns, online games, apps, digital and mobile tools for public health programs and projects nationwide.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.