JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

South Asian community members in Canada experience a higher burden of chronic disease compared to the general population. Digital health innovations provide a significant opportunity to address various healthcare challenges, such as supporting patients in their disease self-management. However, South Asian community members are less likely to use digital tools for their health and face significant barriers in accessing them due to language or cultural factors.

Objective:

This study sought to understand the barriers and facilitators of digital health tool uptake experienced by South Asian community members residing in Canada.

Methods:

The study used a qualitative community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) approach. Residents from Surrey, Canada that spoke one of four South Asian languages (Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, or Tamil) were invited to participate in focus group discussions. A subsample were invited to use Photovoice methods in greater depth to explore the research topics.

Results:

One-hundred ninety-seven participants consented to the focus group discussions, with 12 participants subsequently participating in the Photovoice phase. Findings revealed several key obstacles (older age, lack of education, poor digital health literacy) and facilitators (social support from family or community members, positive attitudes to technology) to using digital health tools.

Conclusions:

The results support the value of using CBPAR and Photovoice methods to engage the South Asian community in Canada to better understand digital health competencies and needs. There were several important implications for policymakers and future research, such as continued engagement of community leaders by healthcare providers and administrators to learn of attitudes and preferences.