Digital Connectedness in the Jackson Heart Study: Cross-sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cardiovascular Disease Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• Limited literature exists on using mobile health (mHealth) for cardiovascular disease research in middle-aged and older African Americans.
• New data collection methods like mobile technology offer timely and cost-effective survey opportunities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the penetration of internet and mobile technologies (cellphones, smartphones) in a large African American cardiovascular disease cohort.
• To contribute knowledge on the feasibility of mHealth in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• A digital connectedness survey was administered to participants of the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), an African American cohort in Mississippi.
• The survey was conducted during annual follow-up calls between July 2017 and February 2019.

Main Results:

• 63.7% of contacted JHS participants completed the survey.
• 88.2% of respondents used the internet or a cellphone, and 62.1% owned a smartphone.
• Internet/cellphone users were younger, more affluent, and more educated than non-users, and less likely to have a cardiovascular disease history.

Conclusions:

• mHealth technologies are feasible for collecting survey data in longitudinal studies of African Americans.
• Addressing the age and education disparities in digital access is crucial for health tracking and research in African American communities.