Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jan 4, 2023
Date Accepted: Nov 20, 2023
Telephone-based training intervention to use digital communication technologies for social housing residents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A feasibility and acceptability evaluation
ABSTRACT
Background:
Digital communications technologies, such as video calls and online messaging, are increasingly important for accessing public and private services, maintaining social relations, and ultimately facilitating wellbeing. Social housing residents are a group at high risk from digital exclusion and potentially failing to benefit from digital communication technology.
Objective:
To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of telephone-based training for social housing residents to use digital communication technologies with confidence.
Methods:
Recruitment was conducted with a social housing association in the UK. A Unitary Authority’s Digital Inclusion Team delivered the training throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed methods approach was employed. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected on demand, reach and implementation. Quantitative data on wellbeing and digital competency were collected in a pre and post training survey to assess potential outcomes. Acceptability was assessed qualitatively.
Results:
4485 residents were offered the training, 67 were interested in the training, and 12 completed the training. This study found that there is both need and demand for basic digital training among social housing populations. However, demand did not translate to uptake and reach of this intervention. Acceptability and feasibility were influenced by socio-economic and health circumstances. There are significant challenges and costs associated with reaching and training the most digitally excluded. Although the group reached was small, the people undertaking the training reported that their original training objectives were met.
Conclusions:
Socio-digital inequalities impact the demand, implementation, and acceptability of basic telephone-based digital training for social housing residents. There is a need for tailored, flexible training to meet individuals' different personal and social needs. Intermediaries such as Housing Associations (HAs) can play an important role in reaching digitally excluded populations.
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.