Empowering Youth Health- Harnessing Technology and Data to Prevent Diseases

Background of the Problem

Technology and the lives of youths have become increasingly intertwined. A national survey indicates that about 95 percent of youths have access to a smartphone, and 92 percent visit online platforms daily (Svensson, 2023). The ongoing digital technology revolution naturally expands and amplifies the youth’s tendencies to seek, explore, and learn. For this population, online platforms are becoming increasingly relevant in a social context as technology evolves at an exponential rate. A majority are tech-savvies, early adopters, and innovators of technology. This presents new vulnerabilities but also new opportunities. In particular, they can harness technology and data to promote their health (Giovanelli et al., 2020). The youth are at a unique stage of human development. Thus, it is critical to lay the foundation for good health. Despite being considered a healthy stage of life, it is the best stage to establish patterns of behavior relating to health: physical activity, diet, sexual activity, mental wellness, and substance abuse (WHO, n.d). Enhance the youth to be empowered to use technology and data to promote their health.

Purpose of Study

This study aims to explore how youth can harness technology and data to improve their health. The first is in disease prevention with a focus on better health outcomes. As technology continues to evolve and data is valuable, youth need to leverage these tools to promote proactive health management. Secondly, it is to identify areas for adaptive behavior promotions. Youth are at a high risk of poor lifestyle behavior that adversely affects their health. Being a period of plasticity, it is the best opportunity for them to gain knowledge on better lifestyle choices. It also seeks to investigate the different technological advancements like wearable devices, mobile health apps, and other online platforms and how the youth are using them. Additionally, it will explore the role of data in promoting health. The role of social media in health information sharing will also be explored, including how they seek health-related knowledge and share their experiences.

Objectives

The main objective of this study is to investigate how youth can use cutting-edge technology and data to improve their health. Below are the specific objectives:

1. To explore the digital health technologies and data-driven approaches and how the youth are using them to improve their health
2. To investigate how youth can use cutting-edge technology and data to prevent diseases
3. To explore how the youth are using social media to improve their health
4. To identify the key factors that influence youth engagement with digital health tools and data-driven health interventions
5. To develop evidence-based recommendations to relevant stakeholders on how they can empower youth to use technology and data to improve their health

Conceptual Assumptions

There are a number of assumptions that will be considered in this study. It will assume that there is a varying degree of digital literacy among the youth. The disparities are a result of factors like geographical location and socioeconomic status. It will also assume that all the early are tech-savvies and early adopters of technology. This means that they are all able to navigate through digital usage. Additionally, there are multiple influences on health: it involves the interplay of environmental, social, behavioral, and biological factors.

Rationale and Theoretical Framework

This study will rely on theoretical perspectives. The Health Belief Model (HBM) will inform the analysis of factors that influence youth engagement with digital health technologies. According to Green et al. (2020), this model is used by disease prevention programs and health promoters to predict and explain people’s shifts in health behaviors. It will help in understanding health behaviors. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) will help assess the youth’s perceived value of digital health tools. It states that to determine if a computer is useful to its user, it is important to determine its perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness (Blackwell et al., 2018).

Scope of Study

The study will focus on youth aged between 12 and 25 years old, considering variations in gender, age, culture, and socioeconomic status. All the digital health technologies will be explored, including mobile health apps, wearable devices, telemedicine platforms, and online health communities. Geographically, the study will be conducted within Ontario.

Definition of Terms

Youth: People aged between 12 and 24 who are transitioning from childhood to adulthood

Cutting-edge technology: technology that is the most advanced and latest techniques, tools, and platforms and has been proven and tested

Data: Factual information that forms the basis for discussion, reasoning, and calculation

Digital health: use of communication and information technologies in medicine to promote wellness and manage diseases

Health promotion: Process of giving people the ability to improve their health by having control

References

Blackwell, G., Gordon, B., Peña-López, I., Scott, R., Baker, A., Cooper, J., … & Bal, R. (2018). A systematic review of the technology acceptance model in health informatics. Applied clinical informatics, 9(03), 604-634.

Giovanelli, A., Ozer, E. M., & Dahl, R. E. (2020). Leveraging Technology to Improve Health in Adolescence: A Developmental Science Perspective. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 67(2S), S7–S13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.020

Green, E. C., Murphy, E. M., & Gryboski, K. (2020). The health belief model. The Wiley encyclopedia of health psychology, 211-214.

Svensson, J. (2023). Technology culture as youth oriented. In Digital Ageism (pp. 71-87). Routledge.

WHO. (n.d). ‘’Adolescent Health’’. https://www.who.int/news/item/06-06-2023-empowering-adolescents-to-lead-change-using-health-data