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Do community-based digital health inclusion programmes contribute to tackling health inequalities in disadvantaged population groups?: a qualitative study of experiences of a city-wide programme in the North of England

Do community-based digital health inclusion programmes contribute to tackling health inequalities in disadvantaged population groups?: a qualitative study of experiences of a city-wide programme in the North of England
Do community-based digital health inclusion programmes contribute to tackling health inequalities in disadvantaged population groups?: a qualitative study of experiences of a city-wide programme in the North of England
Background Advances in digital healthcare and health information provide benefits to the public. However, lack of digital skills together with access, confidence, trust and motivation issues present seemingly insurmountable barriers for many. Such digital health exclusion exacerbates existing health inequalities experienced by older people, people with less income, less education or who don’t have English as a first language. This study examines the role of a city-wide digital inclusion programme in the North of England, which works with Voluntary Sector Community Organisations (VCSOs) to provide digital support to disadvantaged communities (Digital Health Hubs). The aim was to explore if and how Digital Health Hubs contribute to tackling health inequalities, with a specific focus on impacts on service-users and how these impacts are produced. Methods We used qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of service-users receiving digital support, and perspectives of staff working for organisations coordinating or providing digital support (n = 30). Results Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify four major themes and mapped to ‘Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research’ constructs. These were: programme components, recipient-centred support, impacts on service-users and system-level barriers to digital health services. Findings suggest moderators of implementation are provision of community spaces, social activities and devices and Wi-fi, and recipient-centred support through community understanding, personalised regular support and trusting relationships. Impacts on service-users include improved social and emotional resilience and basic digital skills. Health system-level barriers to digital health services, such as inconsistency in service provision, were also identified.
Adult, Aged, Community Health Services/organization & administration, Digital Health, Digital Technology, England, Female, Health Status Disparities, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, Qualitative Research, Vulnerable Populations, Health inequalities, Health systems, Primary care, Community servicess, Health policy, Digital health, Public health
1471-2458
275
Podulval, Shoba
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Arnold, Lily
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Carta, Emma
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Nimmons, Danielle
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Stratton, Irene
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Shaw, Michael
df193f67-691b-4221-9744-b8488c43e2e8
Bradbury, Katherine
87fce0b9-d9c5-42b4-b041-bffeb4430863
Stevenson, Fiona
881eb2a9-d7a8-449d-be50-ead6fda5cd3e
Podulval, Shoba
0a1c2ef6-6e69-45a2-9665-c1d439ac9cb2
Arnold, Lily
144a59df-4a6d-4944-8a2e-99d4da83946e
Carta, Emma
867504d6-8aa3-4f04-be4c-b62b9a094b66
Nimmons, Danielle
5a38df59-7b11-4206-a6cb-f9f7646ba6a0
Stratton, Irene
025219d5-5df9-4f68-be82-deb6d437d064
Shaw, Michael
df193f67-691b-4221-9744-b8488c43e2e8
Bradbury, Katherine
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Stevenson, Fiona
881eb2a9-d7a8-449d-be50-ead6fda5cd3e

Podulval, Shoba, Arnold, Lily, Carta, Emma, Nimmons, Danielle, Stratton, Irene, Shaw, Michael, Bradbury, Katherine and Stevenson, Fiona (2025) Do community-based digital health inclusion programmes contribute to tackling health inequalities in disadvantaged population groups?: a qualitative study of experiences of a city-wide programme in the North of England. BMC Public Health, 25 (1), 275, [275]. (doi:10.1186/s12889-025-21418-y).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background Advances in digital healthcare and health information provide benefits to the public. However, lack of digital skills together with access, confidence, trust and motivation issues present seemingly insurmountable barriers for many. Such digital health exclusion exacerbates existing health inequalities experienced by older people, people with less income, less education or who don’t have English as a first language. This study examines the role of a city-wide digital inclusion programme in the North of England, which works with Voluntary Sector Community Organisations (VCSOs) to provide digital support to disadvantaged communities (Digital Health Hubs). The aim was to explore if and how Digital Health Hubs contribute to tackling health inequalities, with a specific focus on impacts on service-users and how these impacts are produced. Methods We used qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of service-users receiving digital support, and perspectives of staff working for organisations coordinating or providing digital support (n = 30). Results Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify four major themes and mapped to ‘Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research’ constructs. These were: programme components, recipient-centred support, impacts on service-users and system-level barriers to digital health services. Findings suggest moderators of implementation are provision of community spaces, social activities and devices and Wi-fi, and recipient-centred support through community understanding, personalised regular support and trusting relationships. Impacts on service-users include improved social and emotional resilience and basic digital skills. Health system-level barriers to digital health services, such as inconsistency in service provision, were also identified.

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Accepted/In Press date: 10 January 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 January 2025
Published date: 22 January 2025
Additional Information: © 2025. The Author(s)
Keywords: Adult, Aged, Community Health Services/organization & administration, Digital Health, Digital Technology, England, Female, Health Status Disparities, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, Qualitative Research, Vulnerable Populations, Health inequalities, Health systems, Primary care, Community servicess, Health policy, Digital health, Public health

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 498297
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/498297
ISSN: 1471-2458
PURE UUID: f7d70c1d-6c09-4378-824d-47f184830afe
ORCID for Katherine Bradbury: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5513-7571

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Date deposited: 13 Feb 2025 18:09
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:01

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Contributors

Author: Shoba Podulval
Author: Lily Arnold
Author: Emma Carta
Author: Danielle Nimmons
Author: Irene Stratton
Author: Michael Shaw
Author: Fiona Stevenson

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