Can Mobile Health Apps Help More Low-Income Patients?

June 3, 2013— -- Low-income communities don't always get the healthcare they need. That's especially problematic because low socioeconomic status is directly associated with things like obesity and diabetes, meaning the very people who most need care are the least likely to receive it.

Low-income families are also less likely to have health insurance, which means they don't always get the regular care that can prevent and treat medical issues before they become chronic and severe.

But healthcare providers think they can use apps to help reduce the health disparities between minorities and non-minorities.

A recent study found that African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely than Whites to use a mobile health app. Minorities are also more likely to have everything from diabetes to certain types of cancer.

Take Type II diabetes, for example. The disease disproportionately impacts low-income people. That's partially because of a lack of education about proper nutrition and low exercise rates in such communities.

And it's not just specific diseases like diabetes where apps can be helpful. Low-income communities are less likely to have access to nutritious food. It's no surprise then, that these communities are more likely to be obese.

A 2012 study by the Department of Agriculture found that food stamp recipients are more likely to consume foods that nutritionists say should only be consumed occasionally. But healthcare providers like the Mayo Clinic hope that by using apps to get everything from nutrition lessons to online appointment scheduling in front of people wherever they are, they can change that.

The government has also pushed mobile apps as a way to connect with minority communities.

The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health launched a contest in partnership with the Office of Health Information Technology to spark the invention of apps to reduce cancer among minority underserved women. The contest resulted in apps that are available in both English and Spanish. Latino women are about twice as likely as other women to have cervical cancer, so offering the apps in Spanish is critical. They allow users to not only learn about cancer risks and treatments, but also to schedule things like chemo appointments.

As of now, this space shows a lot of promise in helping this underserved group, but there are several hurdles to consider.

Whether such apps should be federally regulated is one issue. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to release guidelines in the fall about which types of mobile health apps will be subject to federal oversight. Apps that help users monitor calorie intake or track footsteps probably won't be regulated because they promote general wellness. But apps that are more like medical devices - programs that allow users to track diabetes, for instance - will likely face regulation.

There's also the issue of insurance coverage. As the use of mobile health apps expands, providers may choose to cover in whole or in part the expenses for apps that fill a medical need.

The market, however is still nascent, and while technology companies are good at innovating and bringing apps to market, the federal government and healthcare bureaucracy are slower to react. That means how these apps are marketed and used in the future remains uncertain.

But one thing is clear:as smartphone and tablet use expands, some estimates expect the market to increase more than 60 percent by 2017 to a $26 billion industry. That means the market for such apps is growing and here to stay.