Appropriation of Mobile Health for Diabetes Self-Management: Lessons From Two Qualitative Studies

Constanze Rossmann; Claudia Riesmeyer; Nicola Brew-Sam; Veronika Karnowski; Sven Joeckel; Arul Chib; Rich Ling

doi:10.2196/10271

Appropriation of Mobile Health for Diabetes Self-Management: Lessons From Two Qualitative Studies

JMIR Diabetes. 2019 Mar 29;4(1):e10271. doi: 10.2196/10271.

Authors

Constanze Rossmann¹, Claudia Riesmeyer², Nicola Brew-Sam¹, Veronika Karnowski², Sven Joeckel¹, Arul Chib³, Rich Ling³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Media and Communication Science, University of Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany.
² Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
³ Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.

PMID: 30924786
PMCID: PMC6460309
DOI: 10.2196/10271

Abstract

Background: To achieve clarity on mobile health's (mHealth's) potential in the diabetes context, it is necessary to understand potential users' needs and expectations, as well as the factors determining their mHealth use. Recently, a few studies have examined the user perspective in the mHealth context, but their explanatory value is constrained because of their limitation to adoption factors.

Objective: This paper uses the mobile phone appropriation model to examine how individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes integrate mobile technology into their everyday self-management. The study advances the field beyond mere usage metrics or the simple dichotomy of adoption versus rejection.

Methods: Data were gathered in 2 qualitative studies in Singapore and Germany, with 21 and 16 respondents, respectively. Conducting semistructured interviews, we asked respondents about their explicit use of diabetes-related apps, their general use of varied mobile technologies to manage their disease, and their daily practices of self-management.

Results: The analysis revealed that although some individuals with diabetes used dedicated diabetes apps, most used tools across the entire mobile-media spectrum, including lifestyle and messaging apps, traditional health information websites and forums. The material indicated general barriers to usage, including financial, technical, and temporal restrictions.

Conclusions: In sum, we find that use patterns differ regarding users' evaluations, expectancies, and appropriation styles, which might explain the inconclusive picture of effects studies in the diabetes mHealth context.

Keywords: Germany; Singapore; diabetes; mHealth; mobile phone; self-management.

©Constanze Rossmann, Claudia Riesmeyer, Nicola Brew-Sam, Veronika Karnowski, Sven Joeckel, Arul Chib, Rich Ling. Originally published in JMIR Diabetes (http://diabetes.jmir.org), 29.03.2019.