Self help with mobile ICT tools

Lifestyle changes for people with type 2 diabetes. This project will investigate the potential of using mobile ICT as a tool for self help with lifestyle changes.

Background

ICT tools for lifestyle changes and disease prevention is today mainly based on personal computers in combination with internet and CD-ROM. Research shows that 46% of the users of different internet based applications in USA actually experienced changes in physical activity due to using these, but also that PC-based tools often is seen as too complicated or demanding.

Purpose

Future tools should be able to be integrated in peoples' daily life and be as simple and mobile as possible. Mobile phones steadily become more powerful, functional and get bigger screens and will probably become the platform for this doctoral project. It will be research on both system -and user level. Themes such as design, seamlessness, user interface, reliability, communication, motivation and user satisfaction will be addressed.

A key question will be which functionalities will be required to achieve sufficient user satisfaction.

Project description

This is a doctoral project, and will further build on the experiences and results from five earlier projects that the doctoral candidate has managed. The doctoral project is built on three studies, that will together result in 4-5 international "peer-review" articles in a doctoral thesis.

The project focuses on a "digital diary" concept for people with type 2 diabetes.

Head supervisor: Prof. Dr. Scient Gunnar Hartvigsen, University of Tromsø
Co supervisor: Prof. Dr. Med. Anders Grimsmo, Norwegian University of Science and Technology og Prof. Dr. Med. Per Hjortdahl, University of Oslo

Financing

Telemedical research programme Helse Nord RHF.