Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Nov 6, 2020
Date Accepted: Jun 17, 2021
Development of Digital Health Messages for Rural Populations in Tanzania: A multi- and interdisciplinary Approach
ABSTRACT
Background:
Health workers have traditionally delivered health promotion and education to rural communities in the global south in paper leaflet formats or orally. With the rise of digital technologies, health promotion and education can be provided in innovative and more effective formats, which are believed to have a higher impact on disease prevention and treatment.
Objective:
The aim of this tutorial is to illustrate how a multi-/interdisciplinary approach can be applied in the design process of digital health messages for use in the global south.
Methods:
The multi-/interdisciplinary team of the Non-discriminating Access for Digital Inclusion (DigI) project digitalised and customised available government-approved paper-based health promotion messages into a screen suitable format. The team worked closely together and utilised its diverse expertise to develop the digital health messages with disease-specific content, in Tanzania's national language (Swahili) as well as English. The development process included the following phases: 1) a local needs assessment; 2) identification of government-approved health promotion materials in a non-digital format; 3) identification of key health messages; 4) creation of a practical and engaging story, easy to understand for the general public; 5) drafting of a storyboard for an animated video with review, feedback and revisions; 6) forward and backward translation; 7) audio recording of the story in both languages; 8) finalisation and presentation of the animations; 9) development of relevant questions related to the health messages in each domain; and 10) development of web and mobile applications to access the digital health messages.
Results:
Between 2017 and 2019, we developed key health messages, quizzes and animated health videos to address HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, Taenia solium cysticercosis/taeniosis and anthrax, which are all of public health importance in Tanzania. Feedback from the local stakeholders and test users were included in various phases of the process. The four videos and other content are available in local information spots, on a digital health platform (DigI platform), established by the DigI project, in both Tanzanian Swahili and English.
Conclusions:
Our methodological multi-/interdisciplinary approach ensures that the digital health messages for the public are clear, high quality and align with the government objectives for health promotion. It also demonstrates the diversity of scientific disciplines required when collaborating on a digital health project. We recommend this approach to be applied to the development of other digital health messages for a wide range of diseases.
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