Technology use and information sources
| Technology usage | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Owns smartphone | 1046 (95.2) |
| Uses internet for health info | 985 (89.7) |
| Used any health app | 243 (22.1) |
| Used hypertension app | 130 (11.8) |
| Source of health info | |
| Physician | 674 (61.4) |
| Family | 145 (13.2) |
| Social media | 71 (6.5) |
Preferred mHealth app features
| Preferred feature | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Medication reminders | 860 (78.4) |
| BP tracking | 790 (71.9) |
| Diet/sodium monitoring | 709 (64.5) |
| Physical activity tracking | 668 (60.8) |
| Stress management | 520 (47.3) |
| Communication with providers | 468 (42.6) |
| BP alerts | 429 (39.1) |
| Peer support | 236 (21.5) |
Attitudes toward mHealth apps
| Statement | Strongly agree n (%) | Agree n (%) | Neutral n (%) | Disagree n (%) | Strongly disagree n (%) | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Would use if free | 528 (48.1) | 505 (46.0) | 34 (3.1) | 21 (2.0) | 8 (0.8) | 4.39 | 0.72 |
| Would use if easy to use | 494 (45.0) | 522 (47.6) | 55 (5.1) | 19 (1.8) | 5 (0.5) | 4.35 | 0.7 |
| Would reduce clinic visits and costs | 423 (38.6) | 533 (48.6) | 81 (7.4) | 37 (3.4) | 21 (2.0) | 4.18 | 0.86 |
| Reminders to follow advice | 490 (44.7) | 501 (45.7) | 64 (5.9) | 34 (3.1) | 6 (0.6) | 4.31 | 0.77 |
| Helps monitor BP | 507 (46.2) | 500 (45.6) | 55 (5.1) | 21 (2.0) | 12 (1.1) | 4.34 | 0.76 |
| Facilitates communication | 465 (42.3) | 509 (46.3) | 77 (7.0) | 30 (2.7) | 17 (1.7) | 4.28 | 0.79 |
| Privacy protected | 419 (38.1) | 524 (47.7) | 93 (8.5) | 45 (4.1) | 17 (1.6) | 4.23 | 0.81 |
| Willing to use mHealth | 490 (44.6) | 450 (41.0) | 110 (10.0) | 33 (3.0) | 15 (1.4) | 4.24 | 0.82 |
| Confident to use independently | 393 (35.8) | 411 (37.4) | 156 (14.2) | 90 (8.2) | 48 (4.4) | 3.91 | 1.02 |
| Needs family help | 289 (26.3) | 397 (36.2) | 231 (21.0) | 115 (10.5) | 66 (6.0) | 3.6 | 1.14 |
Correlation between characteristics and willingness to use mHealth apps
| Variable | Correlation coefficient | P |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | –0.042 | 0.11 |
| Education level | 0.198 | 0.008* |
| Years since diagnosis | 0.092 | 0.09 |
| Number of medications | 0.137 | 0.03* |
Demographics and clinical characteristics
| Characteristic | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Gender | |
| Male | 491 (44.7) |
| Female | 607 (55.3) |
| Mean age (years) 45.0 ± 11.8 | |
| Marital status | |
| Married | 716 (65.2) |
| Single | 275 (25) |
| Divorced/widowed | 107 (9.8) |
| Education | |
| Primary | 98 (8.9) |
| Middle/high school | 183 (16.7) |
| Diploma | 222 (20.2) |
| University | 392 (35.7) |
| Postgraduate | 203 (18.5) |
| Employment status | |
| Employed | 661 (60.2) |
| Unemployed | 274 (25) |
| Retired | 163 (14.8) |
| Residence | |
| Urban | 781 (71.1) |
| Rural | 317 (28.9) |
| Years with HTN | |
| <1 | 110 (10) |
| 1–3 | 276 (25.1) |
| 4–6 | 323 (29.4) |
| >6 | 389 (35.4) |
| Daily meds | |
| 1 | 242 (22) |
| 2 | 497 (45.3) |
| 3+ | 277 (25.2) |
| Comorbidities | |
| Yes | 610 (55.6) |
| No | 488 (44.4) |