Technology Access, Digital Literacy, and Enrollment Support Preferences in a Federally Qualified Health Center:...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Biomedical Research
• Health Equity

Background:

• Biomedical studies increasingly use digital tools for participant enrollment and data collection.
• Digital literacy and technology acceptance vary, posing challenges for recruiting underrepresented groups, including those served by Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure participant accessibility and comfort with digital platforms in research.
• To examine the relationship between technology access, digital literacy, and support preferences during study enrollment and data submission.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of enrollment data from Federally Qualified Health Centers in the All of Us Research Program.
• Participants chose between High-Touch (staff-assisted) or Low-Touch (self-directed) support.
• Logistic regression models assessed factors influencing support type, controlling for demographics and education.

Main Results:

• 89.1% of 605 participants had internet access; 74.1% were comfortable with technology.
• High-Touch support seekers were more likely to lack internet access (14.5%) or be uncomfortable with technology (31.5%).
• Comfort with technology strongly predicted lower likelihood of High-Touch support (aOR 0.118), while internet access did not.

Conclusions:

• Participant comfort with technology is a more significant predictor of digital enrollment support preference than internet access alone.
• Participant-centric designs, adaptive support, and mixed enrollment strategies are crucial for equitable engagement in precision health.
• Individualized onboarding aligned with digital confidence can enhance participation in digital health research.