2017 - Present
A smartphone health information application for African Americans and Hispanics
HealthyMe/MiSalud is a smartphone application (app) to find and receive personalized health information aligned with health goals and personal and family histories. The Center for Health Literacy research team chose smartphones because they are a common consumer device.
The app is for African Americans and Spanish-speaking Hispanic users because research shows they can benefit from greater access to preventive health and medical information. This information can help prevent high-prevalence conditions like heart disease and diabetes. We are testing if the app helps African American and Hispanic users build personal health libraries, increase information seeking, and inform health decisions.
Project Aims
- Understand and involve African American and Spanish-speaking Hispanic users in the design of a prevention-focused app
- Connect multiple information sources in the app and test a Recommender System built with data from African American and Hispanic people’s responses
- Test the app with African American and Spanish-speaking Hispanic users for 12 months
We expect the app will be ready for public use no later than May 2022.
If you are interested in collaborating on new research or testing the app, please contact Dr. Cynthia Baur, Principal Investigator, healthliteracy@umd.edu
Funding Source: National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, R01LM013039-01, September 18, 2018 to May 31, 2022.
Presentations and Publications
- April 2021 - D.C. Health Communication Conference
- Panel Presentation: An Equitable, Participatory Approach to mHealth App Development for African American and Hispanic Adults
- Slide deck available here
Partners
- Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER)
- University of Maryland Center for Health Equity
Press
Maryland Today: Personalized Health Information in Hand