(P24-106-23) Examining Mobile Device Use, Appeal for a Digital Program, and Digital Literacy Among Parents of Preschoolers for Intervention Design

Objectives: Transitioning an in-person intervention to promote healthy eating (HE) and physical activity (PA) to a new digital format requires a snapshot of the audience’s current digital landscape. This study examined mobile device use, appeal for a digital program, and digital literacy among parents of preschoolers.

Methods: Head Start centers in rural Colorado (n=5) and New York (n=5) distributed a Qualtrics electronic survey. Electronic flyers with a QR code and survey link were distributed in English and Spanish during 2022. The survey (33-branched items; 3- or 9-point Likert scales) asked about respondents’ device use (i.e., type, mobile app modalities), appeal for a digital program (vs. in-person or hybrid options), and digital literacy (i.e., skills and confidence navigating and using digital information).

Results: The survey was completed by 116 respondents (n=5 Spanish) who identified as White (59%) or Black (25%), and 30% as Hispanic; 77% identified as mothers and 17% as fathers; and 52% were considered low-income. For device use, 63% reported using the Internet mostly on their smartphone, 13% on another device, and 24% used a combination. Respondents were regular (daily and weekly) users of video (75%), podcast (60%), messaging (73%), and video calling (81%) apps. Appeal for digital programming was high: 49% preferred a digital program compared to an in-person (16%) or hybrid model (34%). When given digital participation options, 80% were somewhat likely or very likely to participate in online workshops, 77% to join virtual group discussions with other parents, and 86% to post on discussion boards. Digital literacy was moderately high (μ=29.8 + 5.9; out of 40); 70% agreed or strongly agreed that they had the skills to evaluate digital resources for children’s HE and PA and 62% felt confident using digital information for decisions about children’s HE and PA behaviors.

Conclusions: This sample of parents with limited resources living in rural communities engages digitally primarily through their smartphones. There is appeal for digital intervention components, and many already have the skills and confidence to navigate and use digital health content for their children. Findings will contribute to the development of an m-Health intervention to promote HE and PA behaviors for parents of preschoolers.

Funding Sources: USDA AFRI 2021-68015-34557