TY - JOUR
AU - X. Ding
AU - K. Marchand
AU - L. Holsti
AU - J. Schmidt
AU - N. Parde
AU - B. Sakakibara
AU - S. Barbic
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Early onset of mental health disorders is common, but many cases remain undetected and untreated, highlighting the need for early intervention. In Canada, youth mental health services face challenges, including fragmentation and resource limitations. Integrated youth services (IYS) aim to address these gaps for individuals aged 12-24 years. Mobile health (mHealth) programs, like Foundry Virtual BC, offer potential solutions, yet their integration and sustainability within IYS require further exploration. OBJECTIVE: This study examined interest-holder perspectives on creating a sustainable, youth-centred mHealth system to improve mental health outcomes. The research focused on three questions: (a) How do users, service providers, and nonclinical staff perceive mHealth's effectiveness and impact? (b) What are the barriers and facilitators to mHealth integration within the Foundry IYS network? and (c) What strategies support the sustainability of mHealth services? METHODS: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with 23 interest-holders, including youth users, service providers, and nonclinical staff from the Foundry network. Participants were recruited via social media and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis identified key themes and subthemes. RESULTS: Three themes emerged regarding mHealth perceptions: (a) its own value, (b) its potential to address barriers to in-person care, and (c) its inherent limitations. Barriers and facilitators of mHealth integration were categorized into three domains: (a) design characteristics (e.g., app usability and content quality), (b) individual youth factors (e.g., privacy concern and inner struggle), and (c) external factors (e.g., safe space and support from peers). Sustainability was linked to service quality and external support. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the complexity of mHealth integration within an IYS network. Interest-holders emphasized addressing user motivations, privacy, and accessibility while advocating for co-design approaches to ensure mHealth meets diverse youth needs. Future research should focus on underrepresented groups to promote equity and improve mental health outcomes through sustainable mHealth solutions.
AD - Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. RINGGOLD: 8166; Foundry, Vancouver, BC, Canada.; Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, Vancouver, BC, Canada.; Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. RINGGOLD: 14681; Natural Language Processing Laboratory, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. RINGGOLD: 14681; Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Southern Medical Program, UBC-Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
AN - 40766858
BT - Digit Health
C5 - Healthcare Disparities; HIT & Telehealth
DA - Jan-Dec
DO - 10.1177/20552076251365073
DP - NLM
ET - 20250803
JF - Digit Health
LA - eng
N2 - BACKGROUND: Early onset of mental health disorders is common, but many cases remain undetected and untreated, highlighting the need for early intervention. In Canada, youth mental health services face challenges, including fragmentation and resource limitations. Integrated youth services (IYS) aim to address these gaps for individuals aged 12-24 years. Mobile health (mHealth) programs, like Foundry Virtual BC, offer potential solutions, yet their integration and sustainability within IYS require further exploration. OBJECTIVE: This study examined interest-holder perspectives on creating a sustainable, youth-centred mHealth system to improve mental health outcomes. The research focused on three questions: (a) How do users, service providers, and nonclinical staff perceive mHealth's effectiveness and impact? (b) What are the barriers and facilitators to mHealth integration within the Foundry IYS network? and (c) What strategies support the sustainability of mHealth services? METHODS: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with 23 interest-holders, including youth users, service providers, and nonclinical staff from the Foundry network. Participants were recruited via social media and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis identified key themes and subthemes. RESULTS: Three themes emerged regarding mHealth perceptions: (a) its own value, (b) its potential to address barriers to in-person care, and (c) its inherent limitations. Barriers and facilitators of mHealth integration were categorized into three domains: (a) design characteristics (e.g., app usability and content quality), (b) individual youth factors (e.g., privacy concern and inner struggle), and (c) external factors (e.g., safe space and support from peers). Sustainability was linked to service quality and external support. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the complexity of mHealth integration within an IYS network. Interest-holders emphasized addressing user motivations, privacy, and accessibility while advocating for co-design approaches to ensure mHealth meets diverse youth needs. Future research should focus on underrepresented groups to promote equity and improve mental health outcomes through sustainable mHealth solutions.
PY - 2025
SN - 2055-2076 (Print); 2055-2076
SP - 20552076251365073
ST - Unlocking mobile health adoption: A qualitative exploration of user experiences, barriers, and facilitators within integrated youth services in British Columbia, Canada
T1 - Unlocking mobile health adoption: A qualitative exploration of user experiences, barriers, and facilitators within integrated youth services in British Columbia, Canada
T2 - Digit Health
TI - Unlocking mobile health adoption: A qualitative exploration of user experiences, barriers, and facilitators within integrated youth services in British Columbia, Canada
U1 - Healthcare Disparities; HIT & Telehealth
U3 - 10.1177/20552076251365073
VL - 11
VO - 2055-2076 (Print); 2055-2076
Y1 - 2025
ER -