Unlock Digital Health Promotion in LMICs to Benefit the Youth


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Date

2023-02-09

Publication Type

Working Paper

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yes

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Abstract

As digital technologies such as smartphones and fitness bands become more ubiquitous, individuals can engage in self-monitoring and self-care practices, gaining greater control over their health trajectories along the life-course. These technologies appeal particularly to young people, who are more familiar with the use of digital devices. How this digital transformation facilitates health promotion is therefore an intensely debated topic. However, most research to date focuses on the promise and peril of digital health promotion (DHP) in high-income settings, while the prospects of digital health promotion in low- and middle-income countries remain largely unexplored. This paper aims to fill this gap by critically examining key ethical challenges of implementing DHP in LMICs, with a specific focus on young people. In the existing literature, we identified potential impediments as well as enabling conditions. The aspects to consider in unlocking the potential of DHP include (1) addressing the digital divide and structural injustice in data-related practices; (2) engaging the target population and responding to their needs given their specific economic, cultural, and social contexts; (3) monitoring the quality and impact of DHP over time; (4) improving responsible technology governance and its implementation. Addressing these concerns could result in meaningful health benefits for populations lacking access to more conventional healthcare resources.

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published

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Publisher

Elsevier

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Subject

Ethics; Digital health promotion; mHealth; Global health; LMICs; Young people; AYAs

Organisational unit

09614 - Vayena, Eftychia / Vayena, Eftychia check_circle

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