The Role of Culture in User Adoption of Mobile Applications for Self-management of Health: A Conceptual Framework

There are increasing calls to harness Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) more effectively towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through innovative digital health strategies. Diabetes mellitus, is one example of a global health problem that is increasing rapidly, affecting the poor and disadvantaged populations the most. Self-care practices for diabetes self-management are important to implement in one's daily life as morbidity and mortality are preventable. Diabetes complications and early fatalities are preventable through proper diabetes management and lifestyle modification. Mobile health applications have been proposed as an important emergent technology to assist in self-care activities of diabetes patients. However, the uptake and usage of mobile health (m-health) applications for self-management of disease is low, especially among communities who are considered to be poor and economically marginalised. This paper posits that individual's culture persuasions have an influence on diabetes patient's decision to adopt and use mobile applications for diabetes self-management. A conceptual framework is developed to understand the role of culture in the adoption of m-health mobile applications for the self-management of disease.