Cell Phone Information Seeking Explains Blood Pressure in African American Women.
Lenette M Jones, Tiffany C Veinot, Susan J Pressler
PMID 28322661WHAT IT FOUND
African American women who used cell phones to find health information had lower systolic blood pressure than those who did not.
This association remained after controlling for age, medication, and recent provider visits. It is a cross-sectional link, not proof that phone use lowers blood pressure.
Key findings
01Women who used cell phones to seek health information had significantly lower mean systolic blood pressure than those who did not, while diastolic pressure showed no difference.
02In a regression model controlling for age, hypertension diagnosis, medication, and recent care, cell phone information seeking remained a significant independent predictor of lower systolic blood pressure.
03Only 42% of the women used their cell phones to search for health information online, and most of those who did not share the information or discuss it with a medical professional.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that cell phone information seeking caused lower blood pressure. Women who are already more engaged in health behaviors may be both more likely to use phones for information and more likely to have better blood pressure control. The sample was a convenience group recruited at a single regional church conference in 2013, which limits generalizability to the broader African American female population. Medication adherence was not measured, so differences in blood pressure cannot be attributed to how consistently participants took prescribed hypertension medications. The type of health information sought was not captured, so it is unclear whether the content of information seeking mattered. Cell phone features such as screen size and download speed were not assessed, which may influence how easily women seek information. Data were collected before the widespread availability of modern mobile blood pressure applications, so current technology use may differ.
Declared interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that encouraging patients to search health information on their phones will lower blood pressure. This is a cross-sectional association, and the study did not measure medication adherence or the specific content of information sought, so causality cannot be inferred.