Digital Innovations for Inclusive Health and Well-Being

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/112477

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    Digital Voices of Survival: From Social Media Disclosures to Support Provisions for Domestic Violence Victims
    (2026-01-06) Wang, Kanlun; Fu, Zhe; Xin, Wangjiaxuan; Zhou, Lina; Chandrappa, Shashi Kiran
    Domestic Violence (DV) is a pervasive public health problem characterized by patterns of coercive and abusive behavior within intimate relationships. With the rise of social media as a key outlet for DV victims to disclose their experiences, online self-disclosure has emerged as a critical yet underexplored avenue for support-seeking. In addition, existing research lacks a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of DV self-disclosure, support provisions, and their connections. To address these gaps, this study proposes a novel computational framework for modeling DV support-seeking behavior alongside community support mechanisms. The framework consists of four key components: self-disclosure detection, post clustering, topic summarization, and support extraction and mapping. We implement and evaluate the framework with data collected from relevant social media communities. Our findings not only advance existing knowledge on DV self-disclosure and online support provisions but also enable victim-centered digital interventions.
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    Digital Interventions for Social Isolation and Loneliness among Older Adults: A Systematic Review
    (2026-01-06) Song, Hao; Lyu, Jueni; Cheung, Christy
    The growing aging population across the globe has exerted tremendous challenges on our society. Social isolation and loneliness among the elderly are identified as critical catalysts driving mental health concerns. While digital interventions have played an important role in reshaping current elderly care practice, existing knowledge on their effectiveness on the elderly’s social isolation and loneliness remains scattered. Through a systematic review of 58 identified articles, we found considerable diversity in the conceptualizations and methodologies used to examine the role of digital interventions in elderly well-being. Furthermore, we observed that relatively few studies were grounded in established theoretical frameworks, which may limit the scientific rigor of their findings. We conclude the study with a detailed discussion on potential avenues for future research.
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    Persuasive Software Features in a Health Behavior Change Support System for Microentrepreneurs: Perceived Persuasiveness, Effort and Effectiveness
    (2026-01-06) Taskan, Hasan; Nabwire, Sharon; Kekkonen, Markku; Oinas-Kukkonen, Harri
    This study explores perceptions of persuasive software features and their influence on perceived persuasiveness, effort, and effectiveness in a health behavior change support system (HBCSS) for microentrepreneurs. We examined a subset of 113 participants in randomized controlled trial study by using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). We found that 69.7% of Computer-Human Dialogue Support features (R²=0.697) were explained largely by System Credibility and Primary Task Support features. Additionally, 59.5% of Perceived Effectiveness (R²=0.595) and 32.8% Perceived Effort (R²=0.328) variances were explained by Perceived Persuasiveness. Furthermore, our predictive model yielded a high out-of-sample predictive power. In conclusion, our findings provide practical guidance for designing HBCSS for microentrepreneurs by explaining the interaction between persuasive software features, perceived persuasiveness, effort and effectiveness.
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    A Qualitative Study of Mobile Technology Use and Perceived Barriers to mHealth Interventions for Youth Living with HIV in the Southern United States
    (2026-01-06) Harrison, Sayward; Miller, Sarah; Chu, Wendy
    Youth living with HIV (YLHIV) in the southern United States (US) experience poor outcomes across the HIV care continuum. Mobile health (mHealth) tools offer promise in overcoming barriers to care for youth. This qualitative study aimed to understand use of mobile technology among YLHIV in South Carolina and to identify barriers to mHealth interventions. HIV care providers (n=15), community-based organization (CBO) staff (n=23), and YLHIV (n=16) completed individual, semi-structured interviews (i.e., providers and youth) or focus groups (i.e., CBO staff). Rapid qualitative analysis was used to identify salient themes. Data analysis indicated that YLHIV are deeply immersed in digital worlds, yet routinely keep their HIV status concealed online, citing barriers related to privacy and confidentiality. Other barriers included the lack of integration of mHealth tools with electronic medical record systems. Structural barriers included the rural-urban ‘digital divide’ and widespread poverty. Implications for development of feasible mHealth tools are discussed.
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