Submit to IJERPH Review for IJERPH Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2023) | Viewed by 19419

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Da Tao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute of Human Factors and Ergonomics, College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: health informatics; human-computer interaction; human factors and ergonomics; patient safety; psychosocial behaviors with technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Hailiang Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Interests: health informatics; gerontechnology design with sensor technology and big data techniques; human-computer interaction; UI/UX design; design intelligence; AIoT
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Kaifeng Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: design, evaluation, and implementation of digital health technologies; behavior change technique; self-management of chronic diseases; health education; human factors in healthcare; human-computer interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The past decade has seen rapid development and application of advanced digital technologies for public health promotion. Digital health technologies are now widely used to enhance the accessibility of healthcare resources, promote communication between healthcare professionals and users, facilitate disease management and medical decision making, and overcome geographical barriers and logistical inconvenience in the access to healthcare services. Examples include the use of smartphones/tablets, wearable devices, robots, virtual reality, augmented reality, remote monitoring systems, and artificial intelligence (AI) for medical and healthcare purposes. The roles of digital health technologies have become even more critical since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.

Despite the growing recognition that digital health technologies benefit healthcare and public health, the evidence base remains limited. In this regard, this Special Issue is interested in empirical and review studies that address the design, implementation, evaluation, acceptance, and human factor issues encountered in applying digital health technologies in a wide range of healthcare contexts. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: novel digital health technologies developed for personalized healthcare and public health; human–computer interaction, human factor issues, and methodological and technological challenges in the design, use, and implementation of digital health technologies; effectiveness and added value of digital health technologies with regard to conventional care practice; technology support for essential public health operations; user perception, recognition, and acceptance of digital health technologies; and the application of digital health technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Da Tao
Dr. Hailiang Wang
Dr. Kaifeng Liu
Guest Editors

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

digital health technologies
health informatics
public health
human–computer interaction
human factors
healthcare data visualization
technology acceptance/resistance
user experience
artificial intelligence
health prediction

Published Papers (10 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

22 pages, 3961 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Functioning of Online Self-Organizations during Public Health Emergencies: Patterns and Mechanism

by Jinghao Chen, Qianxi Liu, Xiaoyan Liu, Youfeng Wang, Huizi Nie and Xiankun Xie

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4012; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054012 - 23 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1197

Abstract

With the increasing use of social media, online self-organized relief has become a crucial aspect of crisis management during public health emergencies, leading to the emergence of online self-organizations. This study employed the BERT model to classify the replies of Weibo users and used K-means clustering to summarize the patterns of self-organized groups and communities. We then combined the findings from pattern discovery and documents from online relief networks to analyze the core components and mechanisms of online self-organizations. Our findings indicate the following: (1) The composition of online self-organized groups follows Pareto’s law. (2) Online self-organized communities are mainly composed of sparse and small groups with loose connections, and bot accounts can automatically identify those in need and provide them with helpful information and resources. (3) The core components of the mechanism of online self-organized rescue groups include the initial gathering of groups, the formation of key groups, the generation of collective action, and the establishment of organizational norms. This study suggests that social media can establish an authentication mechanism for online self-organizations, and that authorities should encourage online interactive live streams about public health issues. However, it is important to note that self-organizations are not a panacea for all issues during public health emergencies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 8916 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Cognition of the Visually Impaired: A Case Study in a Familiar Environment

by Xinyi Zou and Ying Zhou

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 1753; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031753 - 18 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1647

Abstract

Objectives: This paper aims to explore the factors influencing the spatial cognition of the visually impaired in familiar environments. Background: Massage hospitals are some of the few places that can provide work for the visually impaired in China. Studying the spatial cognition of the visually impaired in a massage hospital could be instructive for the design of working environments for the visually impaired and other workplaces in the future. Methods: First, the subjective spatial cognition of the visually impaired was evaluated by object layout tasks for describing the spatial relationships among object parts. Second, physiological monitoring signal data, including the electrodermal activity, heart rate variability, and electroencephalography, were collected while the visually impaired doctors walked along prescribed routes based on the feature analysis of the physical environment in the hospital, and then their physiological monitoring signal data for each route were compared. The visual factors, physical environmental factors, and human–environment interactive factors that significantly impact the spatial cognition of visually impaired people were discussed. Conclusions: (1) visual acuity affects the spatial cognition of the visually impaired in familiar environments; (2) the spatial cognition of the visually impaired can be promoted by a longer staying time and the more regular sequence of a physical environment; (3) the spatial comfort of the visually impaired can be improved by increasing the amount of greenery; and (4) the visual comfort of the visually impaired can be reduced by rich interior colors and contrasting lattice floor tiles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 868 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Text Messages for Depression, Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse Therapy—Are Construction Guidelines Needed?

by Teh Faradilla Abdul Rahman and Norshita Mat Nayan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15701; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315701 - 25 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1546

Abstract

Despite the effectiveness of text messaging therapy in improving mental health conditions, limited attention has been paid to how the text messages are constructed. Thus, this study questions whether there is a need to develop a model of text message construction for mental health therapy. In this backdrop, this study reviews how a text message for mental health therapy is constructed, specifically focused on the process and guidelines. This study also aims to identify the research gap regarding the guideline of text message construction for mental health therapy and to identify mental health professionals’ practices in text messaging therapy. In addition, the opinions of mental health professionals on the need to develop a text message construction guideline were also gathered. The findings from the literature review confirmed that there are still limited guidelines explaining the process of constructing text messages for mental health therapy. Meanwhile, results from the online survey found that mental health professionals expressed a high need to explore and develop a model of text message construction for mental health therapy. With this research gap addressed, this study proposes further research into the development of a text message construction model for mental health therapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 712 KiB

Open AccessArticle

mHealth-Supported Hearing Health Training for Early Childhood Development Practitioners: An Intervention Study

by Divan du Plessis, Faheema Mahomed-Asmail, Talita le Roux, Marien Alet Graham, Tersia de Kock, Jeannie van der Linde and De Wet Swanepoel

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14228; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114228 - 31 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1814

Abstract

(1) Hearing health training and promotion is a priority for early childhood development (ECD) practitioners, but training opportunities are limited, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). mHealth (mobile health) has the potential to deliver scalable ear and hearing training to ECD practitioners. (2) This study investigated the effect of an mHealth training intervention program for ECD practitioners to improve knowledge and perceptions of hearing health in young children. An experimental one-group, pre-post-test study included ECD practitioners working with children between birth and 6 years old across 31 neighbouring communities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Hearing health training was provided using WhatsApp messages that encompassed infographics and voice notes. Knowledge and perceptions regarding hearing and hearing-related problems in children were surveyed pre-training, directly post training, and 6 months post training. (3) ECD practitioners (N = 1012) between 17 and 71 years of age received the mHealth training program and completed both the pre-and post-training surveys. Overall, knowledge scores indicated a significant improvement from pre- to post training (Z = −22.49; p < 0.001). Six-month post-training knowledge scores were sustained. Content analysis of ECD practitioners’ application of the training information 6 months post training indicated improved awareness, practical application, better assistance for hearing problems, and widespread advocacy. (4) The mHealth training program supports improved knowledge and perceptions of ECD practitioners regarding hearing health for young children. With improved knowledge scores maintained 6 months post training, mHealth hearing health training is an effective intervention. An mHealth training program for ECD practitioners provides a scalable, low-cost intervention for primary and secondary prevention in childhood hearing loss, especially in LMICs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 578 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Influence Mechanisms of the Affective and Cognitive Self-Esteem

by Shufang Yang and Mingyao Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13232; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013232 - 14 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1167

Abstract

Most prior studies examined the direct relation between social media usage and loneliness. This study tries to reveal the covert mechanisms involved in how different types of SMU affect older adults’ loneliness, which has rarely been an object of attention in the prior literature. A partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used to analyze the data collected from 466 older adults in a field study. This research divided self-esteem into two dimensions: affective self-esteem (AE) and cognitive self-esteem (CE). The study found that changes in CE only stemmed from functional SMU (FSMU), rather than active SMU (ASMU) and passive SMU (PSMU). ASMU and PSMU had a significant effect on FSMU. CE had a significant effect on loneliness. Objective social isolation (OSI) had a positive relationship with loneliness. Moreover, PSMU, FSMU, and CE had a significant effect on ASMU, CE, and AE, respectively. For older adults, the feeling of connecting with others was more valuable than acquiring specific outcomes. The mediation test results showed that FSMU could play a completely mediating role in the relationship between ASMU and PSMU, as well as that between ASMU and CE. CE significantly mediated the relationship between FSMU and loneliness. Finally, the total effect sizes of ASMU and PSMU on FSMU were significant, and those of CE on older adults’ loneliness and AE were significant, while the total effect of AE on older adults’ loneliness was non-significant. AE moderated the relationship between PSMU and OSI, so PSMU was related to higher OSI only for users experiencing high AE. These findings offer a guide for the use of social media to conduct future loneliness interventions for older adults. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2576 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Factors Associated with Mental Health Attitude in China: A Structural Topic Modeling Approach

by Ruheng Yin, Rui Tian, Jing Wu and Feng Gan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12579; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912579 - 01 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1844

Abstract

Mental health attitude has huge impacts on the improvement of mental health. In response to the ongoing damage the COVID-19 pandemic caused to the mental health of the Chinese people, this study aims to explore the factors associated with mental health attitude in China. To this end, we extract the key topics in mental health-related microblogs on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, using the structural topic modeling (STM) approach. An interaction term of sentiment polarity and time is put into the STM model to track the evolution of public sentiment towards the key topics over time. Through an in-depth analysis of 146,625 Weibo posts, this study captures 12 topics that are, in turn, classified into four factors as stigma (n = 54,559, 37.21%), mental health literacy (n = 32,199, 21.96%), public promotion (n = 30,747, 20.97%), and social support (n = 29,120, 19.86%). The results show that stigma is the primary factor inducing negative mental health attitudes in China as none of the topics related to this factor are considered positive. Mental health literacy, public promotion, and social support are the factors that could enhance positive attitudes towards mental health, since most of the topics related to these factors are identified as positive ones. The provision of tailored strategies for each of these factors could potentially improve the mental health attitudes of the Chinese people. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

38 pages, 33306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Virtual-Reality-Based Restorative Environments on Creativity

by Hongqidi Li, Xueyan Du, Huirui Ma, Zhimeng Wang, Yue Li and Jianping Wu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12083; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912083 - 24 Sep 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2581

Abstract

This study, based on the theory of restorative environmental, uses virtual reality (VR) technology to construct interactive restorative environments and discusses the influence of the experience of virtual restorative environment on individual creativity. A total of 72 college students were selected as participants in the study. Through psychological scales, three creativity tests, and EEG feedback data, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) The VR restorative environment experience improves individual creativity, especially the creative quality of cohesion; (2) the experience of the VR restorative environment enables participants to experience a desirable sense of presence. Compared with the restorative scene experience without interactive activities, the addition of interactive activities improves the individual sensory fidelity to a greater extent. (3) We cannot simply assume that the experience of the VR restorative environment with interactive activities will make individual creative performance better than non-interactive experience. Interaction with certain difficulty will increase cognitive load, thus disrupting individual creative performance. Garden scenes that can be explored freely and have no interaction can better promote individual creativity. (4) In the environmental experience, participants paid greater attention to natural elements, and the restorative environment they described was very similar to the environment they believed could foster creativity. This study’s results provide evidence for the positive effects of the VR restorative environment experience on individuals and contributes to the cognitive exploration of the interaction between restorative environments and individuals in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1834 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of Wellness Condition for Community-Dwelling Elderly via ECG Signals Data-Based Feature Construction and Modeling

by Yang Zhao, Fan Xu, Xiaomao Fan, Hailiang Wang, Kwok-Leung Tsui and Yurong Guan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 11136; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711136 - 05 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1571

Abstract

The accelerated growth of elderly populations in many countries and regions worldwide is creating a major burden to the healthcare system. Intelligent approaches for continuous health monitoring have the potential to promote the transition to more proactive and affordable healthcare. Electrocardiograms (ECGs), collected from portable devices, with noninvasive and cost-effective merits, have been widely used to monitor various health conditions. However, the dynamic and heterogeneous pattern of ECG signals makes relevant feature construction and predictive model development a challenging task. In this study, we aim to develop an integrated approach for one-day-forward wellness prediction in the community-dwelling elderly using single-lead short ECG signal data via multiple-features construction and predictive model implementation. Vital signs data from the elderly were collected via station-based equipment on a daily basis. After data preprocessing, a set of features were constructed from ECG signals based on the integration of various models, including time and frequency domain analysis, a wavelet transform-based model, ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), and the refined composite multiscale sample entropy (RCMSE) model. Then, a machine learning based predictive model was established to map the l-day lagged features to wellness condition. The results showed that the approach developed in this study achieved the best performance for wellness prediction in the community-dwelling elderly. In practice, the proposed approach could be useful in the timely identification of elderly people who might have health risks, and could facilitating decision-making to take appropriate interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 4164 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Colour Preference and Healing in Digital Roaming Landscape: A Case Study of Mental Subhealth Populations

by Tao Huang, Shihao Zhou, Xinyi Chen, Zhengsong Lin and Feng Gan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10986; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710986 - 02 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2382

Abstract

From the perspective of emotional preference, studies have been conducted about landscape healing for subhealth people in the National High-Tech Zone (the study area). Combined with a preliminary practice investigation, Unity 2019 was used to make a digital roaming landscape, and 91 subjects with a history of mental subhealth diseases were randomly invited to participate in the immersive experimentation of the Human–Machine Environment Synchronisation (ErgoLAB) platform. After the experiment, the subjects were invited to fill in a Likert scale as the control group. The interest preference, emotion fluctuation, and healing effect of landscape colour were verified. The results show that: (1) The variation trend of interest reflected the concentration of interest in landscape, and the order of degree of interest, ranging from high to low, went Green > Yellow > Blue > Red > Orange > Purple > Cyan. (2) The subjects’ interest in landscape colour was correlated with the arousal of positive emotions. The correlation between interest in landscape colour and positive emotions, from high to low, went Blue > Green > Yellow, while the correlation between red, cyan, orange, and purple was not significant. (3) The mean skin conductance (SC) fluctuation variance of subjects was 5.594%, which confirmed that the healing effect of digital roaming landscape scenes was significant under the state of low arousal. According to the Likert scale data, subjects’ scores of the healing effect of landscapes, from high to low, went as follows: Green > Yellow > Red > Blue > Cyan > Orange > Purple. The results provide a new method for demonstrating the logical relationship between the digital landscape interest experience–emotional awakening–healing effect and providing a theoretical method and construction scheme for landscape colour configuration in the implementation of landscape healing projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 847 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Determinants of User Acceptance of Mobile Medical Platforms: An Investigation Integrating the TPB, TAM, and Patient-Centered Factors

by Hailiang Wang, Jiaxin Zhang, Yan Luximon, Mingfu Qin, Ping Geng and Da Tao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10758; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710758 - 29 Aug 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2429

Abstract

Mobile medical platforms (MMPs) can make medical services more accessible and effective. However, the patient-centered factors that influence patients’ acceptance of MMPs are not well understood. Our study examined the factors affecting patients’ acceptance of MMPs by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the technology acceptance model (TAM), and three patient-centered factors (i.e., perceived convenience, perceived credibility, and perceived privacy risk). Three hundred and eighty-nine Chinese respondents were recruited in this study and completed a self-administered online questionnaire that included items adapted from validated measurement scales. The partial least squares structural equation modeling results revealed that perceived privacy risk, perceived credibility, and perceived ease of use directly determined the perceived usefulness of an MMP. Perceived convenience, perceived credibility, and perceived usefulness significantly affected the patients’ attitudes toward MMPs. Perceived usefulness, attitude, perceived privacy risk, and perceived behavioral control were important determinants of the patients’ behavioral intentions to use MMPs. Behavioral intention and perceived behavioral control significantly influenced perceived effective use. Perceived credibility and perceived ease of use significantly affected perceived convenience. However, social influence had no significant effect on attitude and behavioral intention. The study provides important theoretical and practical implications, which could help practitioners enhance the patients’ use of MMPs for their healthcare activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Digital Technologies for Public Health Promotion

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (10 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI