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uHealth Services and Interventions for Better Prevention and Care
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uHealth Services and Interventions for Better Prevention and Care

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 11019

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Silvia Gabrielli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Digital Health Research, Bruno Kessler Foundation, 38122 Trento, Italy
Interests: co-design of digital health interventions; digital therapeutics; persuasive interfaces for personal healthcare; serious games for rehabilitation; virtual reality applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advances in the design of uHealth services and digital interventions are revolutionizing the way of tackling current challenges for prevention and public health. Digital tools such as mobile apps, virtual coaching systems, and telecare solutions are providing new opportunities for offering more engaging strategies to promote healthy lifestyles in the nonclinical population and for delivering therapies that are more scalable and sustainable for the healthcare system to manage. However, understanding how to best tailor these new uHealth services and interventions to the needs and preferences of users is a complex task, requiring multidisciplinary knowledge and the deployment of iterative design and evaluation methods. More evidence-based research is needed to fully assess the feasibility and effectiveness of these new solutions, to prevent possible concerns and rejection by users or by healthcare professionals that may lower the potential impact of future uHealth.

In this Special Issue, we aim to cover the full spectrum of uHealth-related research that includes theoretical, methodological, original qualitative and quantitative research, as well as review articles.

Prof. Dr. Silvia Gabrielli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • uHealth
  • mHealth
  • evidence-based
  • digital therapies
  • behavior-change interventions for health
  • virtual coaching
  • public health interventions
  • prevention
  • healthy lifestyles
  • eHealth services

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 347 KiB  
Article
Exploring Saudi Individuals’ Perspectives and Needs to Design a Hypertension Management Mobile Technology Solution: Qualitative Study
by Adel Alzahrani, Valerie Gay and Ryan Alturki
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12956; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912956 - 10 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2472
Abstract
Hypertension is a chronic condition caused by a poor lifestyle that affects patients’ lives. Adherence to self-management programs increases hypertension self-monitoring, and allows greater prevention and disease management. Patient compliance with hypertension self-management is low in general; therefore, mobile health applications (mHealth-Apps) are [...] Read more.
Hypertension is a chronic condition caused by a poor lifestyle that affects patients’ lives. Adherence to self-management programs increases hypertension self-monitoring, and allows greater prevention and disease management. Patient compliance with hypertension self-management is low in general; therefore, mobile health applications (mHealth-Apps) are becoming a daily necessity and provide opportunities to improve the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, including hypertension. This research aims to explore Saudi individuals’ perspectives and needs regarding designing a hypertension management mobile app to be used by hypertension patients to better manage their illnesses. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 Saudi participants to explore their perspectives and views about the needs and requirements in designing a hypertension mobile technology solution, as well as usability and culture in the Saudi context. The study used NVivo to analyze data and divided the themes into four main themes: the app’s perceived health benefits, features and usability, suggestions for the app’s content, and security and privacy. The results showed that there are many suggestions for improvements in mobile health apps that developers should take into consideration when designing apps. The mobile health apps should include physical activity tracking, related diet information, and reminders, which are promising, and could increase adherence to healthy lifestyles and consequently improve the self-management of hypertension patients. Mobile health apps provide opportunities to improve hypertension patients’ self-management and self-monitoring. However, this study asserts that mobile health apps should not share users’ data, and that adequate privacy disclosures should be implemented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue uHealth Services and Interventions for Better Prevention and Care)

Review

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18 pages, 608 KiB  
Review
The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Interventions on Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol, Physical Activity and/or Obesity Risk Factors: A Systematic Review
by Peter Tatnell, Prince Atorkey and Flora Tzelepis
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10821; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710821 - 30 Aug 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3041
Abstract
To our knowledge, no systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) interventions across all smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity, and/or obesity (SNAPO) risk factors. This systematic review assessed the effectiveness of VR interventions on reducing SNAPO risks compared to control [...] Read more.
To our knowledge, no systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) interventions across all smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity, and/or obesity (SNAPO) risk factors. This systematic review assessed the effectiveness of VR interventions on reducing SNAPO risks compared to control groups or other interventions. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL were searched to identify eligible studies published to 7 October 2021. Two reviewers independently completed screening, data extraction and quality assessment. Twenty-six studies were included, five on smoking, twelve on physical activity (PA), six on obesity, one on PA and obesity, one on obesity and nutrition, and one on obesity, nutrition and PA. VR was effective for smoking cessation in three studies and for smoking reduction in four studies. Seven studies had significantly higher PA in the VR group, and one study found significantly higher PA in a comparator group. Two studies showed VR was more effective at reducing BMI or weight than comparators. Three multiple health risks studies showed mixed results. The remaining studies found no significant difference between VR and control/comparators. VR appears promising for the treatment of smoking, nutrition, PA, and obesity risks; however, further randomised trials are needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue uHealth Services and Interventions for Better Prevention and Care)
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18 pages, 5383 KiB  
Review
The Efficacy of Digital Cognitive–Behavioral Interventions in Supporting the Psychological Adjustment and Sleep Quality of Pregnant Women with Sub-Clinical Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Elisa Mancinelli, Giulia Bassi, Silvia Gabrielli and Silvia Salcuni
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9549; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159549 - 3 Aug 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2638
Abstract
The present meta-analysis investigated the overall and differential efficacy of digital cognitive–behavioral therapies (CBTs) vs. third-generation CBTs deployed to pregnant women in reducing sub-clinical depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms while fostering sleep quality and quality of life. A PRISMA-guided systematic search was used, [...] Read more.
The present meta-analysis investigated the overall and differential efficacy of digital cognitive–behavioral therapies (CBTs) vs. third-generation CBTs deployed to pregnant women in reducing sub-clinical depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms while fostering sleep quality and quality of life. A PRISMA-guided systematic search was used, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the above-mentioned interventions. Data were pooled using either the mean difference (MD) or standardized MD (SMD). Sub-group analyses were carried out when appropriate. The primary outcomes were depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, as well as sleep quality and quality of life. The interventions’ acceptability was evaluated through the odds ratio (OR) of drop-out rates. Seven RCTs were included, comprising 1873 pregnant women. The results showed the interventions’ efficacy in terms of reducing depression symptoms (SMD = −0.36, CI = 0.61, −0.11, k = 9) at the endpoint, although it was not maintained at follow-up during the postpartum period. The interventions’ efficacy in terms of reducing anxiety symptoms (SMD = 1.96, CI = −2.72, −1.21, k = 3) at the endpoint was also significant, while having no effect on sleep quality. The interventions were well accepted (OR = 1.68; 95% CI = 0.84, 3.35; k = 7). Although no sound conclusions can be drawn concerning the joint or differential efficacy of the considered interventions, this study was useful in highlighting the need to develop evidence-based digital prevention programs for pregnant women with sub-clinical symptoms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue uHealth Services and Interventions for Better Prevention and Care)
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Other

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18 pages, 4370 KiB  
Essay
Modeling the Conversation with Digital Health Assistants in Adherence Apps: Some Considerations on the Similarities and Differences with Familiar Medical Encounters
by Anna Spagnolli, Giulia Cenzato and Luciano Gamberini
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(12), 6182; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20126182 - 19 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1980
Abstract
Digital health assistants (DHAs) are conversational agents incorporated into health systems’ interfaces, exploiting an intuitive interaction format appreciated by the users. At the same time, however, their conversational format can evoke interactional practices typical of health encounters with human doctors that might misguide [...] Read more.
Digital health assistants (DHAs) are conversational agents incorporated into health systems’ interfaces, exploiting an intuitive interaction format appreciated by the users. At the same time, however, their conversational format can evoke interactional practices typical of health encounters with human doctors that might misguide the users. Awareness of the similarities and differences between novel mediated encounters and more familiar ones helps designers avoid unintended expectations and leverage suitable ones. Focusing on adherence apps, we analytically discuss the structure of DHA-patient encounters against the literature on physician-patient encounters and the specific affordances of DHAs. We synthesize our discussion into a design checklist and add some considerations about DHA with unconstrained natural language interfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue uHealth Services and Interventions for Better Prevention and Care)
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