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Table 2 Text Message Usage and Barriers to Mobile Phone Use Among Mobile Phone Owners

From: A study of mobile phone use among patients with noncommunicable diseases in La Paz, Bolivia: implications for mHealth research and development

  

Text Message Usage

Barriers to Mobile Phone Use

 

Total

Sends or Receives at least once a week

Frequently or Always Lacks Mobile Signal

Frequently or Always Lacks Mobile Phone Credit

 

% (n)

%

p-value§

%

p-value§

%

p-value§

Total

100 (452)

58.0

 

9.1*

 

16.5**

 

Demographics

       

Age

  

<0.01°

 

0.10°

 

<0.01

 18–29

11.1 (50)

94.0

 

10.0

 

32.7

 

 30–49

35.2 (159)

74.2

 

11.3

 

18.9

 

 50–64

36.1 (163)

44.2

 

9.9

 

14.2

 

 65+

17.7 (80)

31.3

 

2.5

 

6.3

 

Gender

  

0.06

 

0.76

 

0.12

 Male

39.2 (177)

52.5

 

9.6

 

13.1

 

 Female

60.8 (275)

61.5

 

8.8

 

18.7

 

Indigenous language used at home

  

<0.01

 

0.18

 

0.38

 Yes

28.5 (129)

44.2

 

6.2

 

14.1

 

 No

71.5 (323)

63.5

 

10.3

 

17.5

 

Health Literacya

  

<0.01

 

0.65

 

0.46

 Low

25.0 (113)

38.1

 

8.0

 

18.8

 

 High

75.0 (339)

64.6

 

9.4

 

15.7

 

Education in years

  

<0.01

 

0.01

 

0.29

 ≤6

26.8 (121)

29.8

 

6.7

 

18.3

 

 7–12

39.2 (177)

56.5

 

5.7

 

17.6

 

 >12

34.1 (154)

81.8

 

14.9

 

13.7

 

Health Status

       

Self-Reported Health

  

0.01

 

0.19

 

0.84

 G./V.G./Exc.b

32.5 (147)

67.4

 

11.6

 

16.0

 

 Poor or fair

67.5 (305)

53.4

 

7.9

 

16.7

 

Number of Self-Reported Chronic Conditions

  

<0.01

 

0.61

 

0.20

 0

26.1 (118)

78.8

 

10.2

 

13.7

 

 1

34.3 (155)

54.8

 

9.0

 

15.5

 

 ≥2

39.6 (179)

46.9

 

8.4

 

19.2

 

Depressedc

  

0.19

 

0.26

 

0.09

 Yes

45.4 (205)

54.6

 

10.8

 

19.8

 

 No

54.7 (247)

60.7

 

7.7

 

13.8

 

Health Care Access

       

Cost-related access barrierd

  

0.81

 

0.86

 

0.03

 Yes

45.1 (204)

57.4

 

9.4

 

20.7

 

 No

54.9 (248)

58.5

 

8.9

 

13.0

 

Travel time to clinic in minutes

  

<0.01

 

0.69

 

0.01

 0–29

39.6 (179)

69.8

 

8.9

 

12.4

 

 30–59

35.0 (158)

52.5

 

8.2

 

15.4

 

 ≥60

25.4 (115)

47.0

 

10.5

 

24.4

 
  1. All percentages are row-percentages. §Result of Pearson Chi-squared Test for binary predictors, result of Cochran-Armitage test of trend for variables with more than two levels;*One missing record; **Two missing records; °Result of Fisher’s Exact test for small cell sizes; aDefined as not being able to read, frequently or always needing someone to help read papers from health center, frequently or always having problems understanding written medical instructions; bGood/Very Good/Excellent; cAs measured by a score of 3 or more on the PHQ-2 questionnaire; d“In the past year, did cost keep you from going to a clinic or hospital?”