ABSTRACT
Aim: Adolescents have experienced disruption in their daily routines, including changes in health behaviors such as an increased sedentary behavior and increased smartphone usage. The aim of this study was to assess the association of health behaviors with mental health problems. Method(s): Five cross-sectional surveys (February 2021 to May 2022) were performed during the pandemic assessing physical activity, smartphone usage, depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9)), anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale 7 (GAD-7)), sleep quality (Insomnia Severity Index 7 (ISI-7)), and stress (Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS-10)). In total, N = 7201 adolescents (age: 14-20 years ((MW +/- SD): 16.63 +/- 1.49 years);70.2% female, 18.8% migration background) participated. Result(s): A strong increase in mobile phone usage as well as a decrease in physical activity as compared to pre-pandemic data were observed (p < 0.001). Compared to the lowest smartphone user group (<1 h/d), the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for depressive symptoms increased with increasing smartphone usage to 1.98 (3-4 h/d), 3.30 (5-6 h/d), 4.96 (7-8 h/d), and 6.79 (>8 h/d). High utilizers (>8 h/d) were also more likely to experience clinically relevant anxiety, insomnia, or stress symptoms (aORs 3.23-5.75) compared to those using the smartphone less than 1 h/d. Conclusion(s): Results highlight the need for measures to promote responsible smartphone usage as well as to increase physical activity, so as to promote mental health in adolescence.Copyright © 2023
ABSTRACT
RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Cleaning smartphones of healthcare workers (HCWs) is generally recommended; however, most previous studies on bacterial contamination of smartphones assessed touchscreens alone. This study compared the prevalence of bacterial contamination on touchscreens and posterior surfaces of smartphones owned by HCWs. METHOD: A cross-sectional study of smartphones used by HCWs working at an emergency department (ED) at a Japanese tertiary care hospital was conducted. Bacteria on each surface of the smartphones were isolated separately. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the prevalence of microbial contamination on each surface of the smartphones and the types of associated bacterial species. Fisher's exact test was used to compare dichotomous outcomes. RESULTS: The smartphones of 40 HCWs working in the ED of a Japanese tertiary care hospital were examined. The touchscreens and posterior surfaces were contaminated in 26 (65.0%) and 36 (90.0%) smartphones, respectively, indicating the posterior surface was more frequently contaminated (p = 0.014). Bacillus species and coagulase-negative staphylococci were most frequently isolated from each surface of the smartphones. CONCLUSIONS: The posterior surface of a smartphone was more significantly contaminated with bacteria than the touchscreen. Both surfaces of smartphones need to be cleaned to prevent bacterial contamination in healthcare environments.
ABSTRACT
Cross-contamination between patient and dentist is a real threat that has not been adequately studied. Staphylococcus aureus, through its characteristic genetic plasticity, has managed to develop multiple virulence and antibiotic resistance proteins. The antibiotic susceptibility profile and the presence of the blaZ and mecA genes that encode resistance to penicillin and methicillin, respectively, were analyzed in strains isolated from multipurpose boxes used by dental students at the Catholic University of Cuenca. These boxes are used to transport instruments and material. From the universe of study (249 boxes) 139 samples were obtained from boxes of the students who accepted and signed a consent to participate. Eight strains of S. aureus were identified, of which, through antibiogram analysis, it was found that seven were resistant to penicillin and two strains resistant to cefoxitin (MRSA strains). In molecular analysis, the mecA gene was identified in two strains, while the blaZ gene was found in all of them. It was concluded that the rate of S. aureus found in this study was low due to various factors, possibly including increased vigilance and cleanliness due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the study. © FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br.
ABSTRACT
Aim: The current study aimed to assess the effect of refractive errors among school children due to online classes. Material(s) and Method(s): School-going children who were attending online classes between five and fifteen years were subjected to ophthalmic evaluation. A questionnaire including sections like demographics, gadget use, on-screen time, and physical complaints was administered to collect the required data. Result(s): The participants in our study had a mean age of 9 +/- 2 years (range 5-15 years) of whom 48.4% (n = 140) were males and 51.6% (n = 149) were females. There was a predominance of myopia (86.5%) in children where 44.6% of them have newly developed refractive errors. Around 70 (67.8%) children with a previous refractive error have been shown to have progression of refractive error. Conclusion(s): Our study reports that children were exposed to prolonged screen time which led to a rise in the number of myopia cases.Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Covid-19 Epidemic has significantly changed how hypospadias patients are delivered to healthcare services, particularly after hypospadias repairs (postoperative care). Some studies reported that using telemedicine schemes by sending digital documentation such as images and videos through cell phones can facilitate an assessment of postoperative monitoring of hypospadias patients. However, this approach raises various concerns, such as managing digital documentation of hypospadias patients, analyzing the data, and the security of individuals' health information. This study proposes a design of cloud-based architecture for early detection and postoperative monitoring of hypospadias patients to address the concerns above. The user acceptance test shows that most users agree that this application may be used for early detection, monitoring hypospadias patients, and helping capture videos and provide labeling to patients' data. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
It is of critical importance to estimate changing disease-transmission rates and their dependence on population mobility. A common approach to this problem involves fitting daily transmission rates using a susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered-(SEIR) model (regularizing to avoid overfitting) and then computing the relationship between the estimated transmission rate and mobility. Unfortunately, there are often several very different transmission-rate trajectories that can fit the reported cases well, meaning that the choice of regularization determines the final solution (and thus the mobility-transmission rate relationship) selected by the SEIR model. Moreover, the classical approaches to regularization-penalizing the derivative of the transmission rate trajectory-do not correspond to realistic properties of pandemic spread. Consequently, models fitted using derivative-based regularization are often biased toward underestimating the current transmission rate and future deaths. In this work, we propose mobility-driven regularization of the SEIR transmission rate trajectory. This method rectifies the artificial regularization problem, produces more accurate and unbiased forecasts of future deaths, and estimates a highly interpretable relationship between mobility and the transmission rate. For this analysis, mobility data related to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic was collected by Safegraph (San Francisco, California) from major US cities between March and August 2020.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/transmission , Disease Susceptibility/epidemiology , Disease Transmission, Infectious/statistics & numerical data , Models, Statistical , Population Dynamics/statistics & numerical data , Forecasting , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , United StatesABSTRACT
Purpose: While Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective at preventing HIV, uptake is low among adolescents. In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), peer mentors (PMs) are considered best practice to increase PrEP acceptability and uptake. Globally, COVID19 has shifted much education and training to virtual formats. Most young people in LMIC have cell phones. Our objective is to describe our experiences developing and delivering a mixed virtual/physical curriculum for training PrEP PMs. Methods: IRB and local research ethics committee approval was obtained. A literature search (PubMed, EBSCO, USAID website, and MedEd Portal) yielded one published curriculum for PrEP PMs. This curriculum was combined with locally developed HIV PM education modules to create a new curriculum, with planned virtual and physical sessions. Curriculum materials were reviewed and agreed upon by all authors. All sessions were delivered by authors, with the majority delivered by Americans. The first 4 hours were done virtually via Zoom, covering the basics of HIV, detailed information on PrEP, adolescent development, and confidentiality. The remaining sessions were held in person and covered expectations of PMs, basic family planning, research ethics, action planning, role playing, and a review of virtual topics. Feedback was solicited from the PMs after virtual training. A debriefing session was held with the five facilitators involved in training: 1 research staff and 1 physician investigator from Kenya, 1 research staff and 2 physician investigators from the US - all female. Results: All five PMs (aged 21 – 27) participated. One identified as female, and one as LGBTQ. Feedback was solicited via anonymous survey (n=3) after the virtual sessions and debriefing with Kenyan research staff. Respondents strongly agreed that the virtual training was worth their time. Although PMs felt they were able to learn in the virtual format, facilitators noted more engagement during in-person sessions. Facilitators noted the importance of introductions and challenges of building cohesiveness for virtual sessions, particularly with sensitive content and internet limitations restricting video use (eg. low bandwidth, use of cell phones). Kenyan investigators noted that the Kenyan educational system is hierarchical, with students largely learning passively. They felt that this, combined with the newness of virtual learning and minimal dedicated time for introductions, may have hampered active virtual participation. While no PMs pointed to race or accent as limitations, facilitators noted differences between American and Kenyan English idioms, cadence, speed, and pronunciation that may have caused difficulty. Given Kenya's history of colonialism, all raised concerns that PMs may have been more deferential to light-skinned, foreign facilitators. Facilitators who observed both virtual and in-person sessions felt it was easier to break barriers of colonialism and assess for differences in spoken English in person. Facilitators felt that if virtual training were to be used in the future, it would be beneficial to have physical sessions first to set an interactive, educational tone and allow participants to build rapport. Conclusions: Virtual delivery of PM educator training in a LMIC setting is difficult and requires careful consideration or technological limitations and culture. Sources of Support: Indiana CTSI;Grant Number UL1RR025761-01.
ABSTRACT
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of cell phones increased due to the confinement that implied more time at home and carrying out virtual activities, this modified some behaviors, among which eating behavior stands out. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between cell phone use patterns and their use during eating episodes. An online survey created on the Google forms platform was sent via email, which was based on the Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS) and was answered anonymously. Regarding the use of cell phones during meals, 33.1 per cent of the total participants presented this behavior always or almost always and 30.7 per cent sometimes. Problematic cell phone use was higher in the group that was in confinement (5.6 vs 1.8 per cent), being more pronounced in women (p = 0.011). In the group of occasional cell phone users, 2.2 por ciento used it during meals and in the group with problematic use, 80.8 per cent (p < 0.000). People from 29 to 59 years old were the ones who most reported using it at all times of food (65.1 per cent) followed by young people (34.9 per cent). © 2023, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Mobile health (mHealth) technology has increased dramatically in the wake of the pandemic. Less research has focused on people with mobility impairing (PMI) disabilities. This study determined the prevalence of mHealth use among PMI adults during the COVID-19 escalation and examines demographic, health and COVID-19 concerns correlates. METHODS: PMI adults (N = 304) completed an online survey investigating mHealth use and COVID-19 concerns related to food access in June of 2020. Smartphone and mHealth use were measured with an adapted version of the survey used in the Pew Internet & American Life project. Descriptive and multivariable analyses were conducted to determine associations of demographics, health status, and COVID-19 concerns with mHealth use. About two-thirds (N = 201) of the sample were mHealth users (owned a smartphone and engaged in health-promoting behaviors with the smartphone; e.g., sought online information, tracked health behaviors, used patient portals). RESULTS: Having hypertension was associated with higher mHealth use, and having higher COVID-19 concerns about food access was associated with higher mHealth use. Those who used mHealth were also more engaged with smartphone apps for communication, services, and entertainment. Only the association between educational attainment and mHealth use remained significant after adjusting for other covariates in multivariable logistic regression models. DISCUSSION: PMIs continue to need support in the use of mHealth technology to help maximize access to potentially important tools for rehabilitation and health management. There is a need to continue to investigate mHealth and its applications for people with disabilities.Implications for RehabilitationMany people with mobility impairing disabilities may be missing opportunities for mHealth rehabilitation and healthcare.COVID-19 has widened existing gaps in access and use of mHealth technology among people with mobility impairing disabilities.Focused education is needed to help people with disabilities exploit the full range of services of their smartphones to increase access to care, social connectivity, and other important goods and services to enhance rehabilitation and health management.
ABSTRACT
In this paper we propose a method for using mobile network data to detect potential COVID-19 hospitalizations and derive corresponding epidemic risk maps. We apply our methods to a dataset from more than 2 million cellphones, collected by a mobile network provider located in London, UK. The approach yields a 98.6% agreement with released public records of patients admitted to NHS hospitals. Analyzing the mobility pattern of these individuals prior to their potential hospitalization, we present a series of risk maps. Compared with census-based maps, our risk maps indicate that the areas of highest risk are not necessarily the most densely populated ones and may change from day to day. Finally, we observe that hospitalized individuals tended to have a higher average mobility than non-hospitalized ones. © 2022 Owner/Author.
ABSTRACT
The breakfast service is an important part of local vitality which are traditionally provided by restaurants and street vendors in real space. The booming virtual economy and delivery service provide alternative type. With the outbreak of COVID-19, both the temporary lock-down of many streets and the reduction of travelling have great impact on breakfast service at the beginning of 2020. During this epidemic period, what kind of breakfast service suffers more, if the location matters, these became interesting questions. This paper presents a comparative study on the central city area (160km2) of Beijing before and after the impact of Covid19. Based on two site surveys in 2019 July and 2020 September, over 3000 breakfast service are mapped in 6 categories (Chain restaurant, subcontracted breakfast service, fixed vendor stance, mobile vendor stance, supermarket and bakery) in real space. Cell phone data of 2018 and 2020 are also used to provide other factors such as employment/residential densities and distances of commuting. Additionally, social media data of breakfast distribution from Dazhongdianping.com are collected to study how service in real and virtual space overlap. In general, it can be found that the space with dominant accessibility has stronger resilience. Breakfast services in an advantageous position are more likely to expand new opportunities through the network platform in virtual space. © 2022 Proceedings 13th International Space Syntax Symposium, SSS 2022. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Telemental health care can be defined as the delivery of mental health care services at distance, by using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses, as well as for research and education in the field of clinical psychiatry. While telemental health care practice was long established in many countries, its development proceeded with some variability worldwide. Over the past months, however, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly spread telemental health care practice worldwide, mostly to ensure the provision of care and assistance to psychiatric patients in spite of the governmental social contact restrictions. Although the process of rapid implementation has often happened at different rates and with different quality standards, across the various countries and sites, a global increase of the use of digital technologies has been reported. On the other hand, such recent events have also sparked a real paradigm shift in mental health care, significantly expanding the scope of e-mental health, given the recent availability of newer tools of digital psychiatry. In more detail, the use of mobile phones applications, of social media, of immersive reality and of chatbots is now driving psychiatry towards envisioning a more hybrid form of psychiatric practice, which holds the potential to finally overcome the traditional gap between the unmet needs of psychiatric patients and the relative lack of services and resources in mental health care. Here, the research evidence and the most compelling implementation issues in digital psychiatry will be reviewed.
ABSTRACT
In this paper we propose a method for using mobile network data to detect potential COVID-19 hospitalizations and derive corresponding epidemic risk maps. We apply our methods to a dataset from more than 2 million cellphones, collected over the months of March and April in 2020 by a British mobile network provider. The method consists of different algorithms, including detection, filtering, validation and fine-tuning. The approach detected over 2,800 potentially hospitalized individuals, yielding a 98.6% agreement with released public records of patients admitted to NHS hospitals. Analyzing the mobility pattern of these individuals prior to their potential hospitalization, we present a series of risk maps. Compared with census-based maps, our risk maps indicate that the areas of highest risk are not necessarily the most densely populated ones. We also show that the areas of highest risk may change from day to day. Finally, we observe that hospitalized individuals tended to have a higher average mobility than non-hospitalized ones. Overall, we conclude that the rich spatio-temporal information extracted from mobile network data may benefit both the mobile-based technologies and the policies that are being developed against existing and future epidemics. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has enforced a new norm in the world with maximum dependence on technology in day-to-day living as well as the academic atmosphere. Globally, students are profoundly affected but more specifically medical students are subjected to immense stress, which is bound to affect their sleep and thus the sleep-regulating hormone, melatonin. Young medical students right at the entry to their professional career have, therefore, been hit by the changing scenario with most classes becoming online and increasing dependence on technological gadgets such as smartphones and laptops. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine the sleep pattern of 1st-year medical students, survey their mobile phone use, and to estimate their serum melatonin levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material(s) and Method(s): This cross-sectional study was done in a Northeast India Medical Institute using standard questionnaires, Pittsburgh's Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Problematic Mobile Phone Usage Questionnaire among medical students and estimating their early morning serum melatonin level by ELISA assay. Statistical Analysis: Data collected were entered in SSPS version 21 and analyzed using descriptive measures, and statistical significances were set at P < 0.05. Result(s): One hundred and one students (Male: 49 and Female: 52) in the age range of 18-23 years responded to the study which recorded poor sleep quality in 53.5% and good sleep in 46.5%. Poor sleep quality as indicated by PSQI score >5 was reported in 63.5% of females and 42.9% of males which was statistically significant (P = 0.04). Out of these poor sleepers, 66.7% of males and 54.5% of females reported mobile phone usage for more than 2 up to 6 h. Comparatively, poor sleep quality was reported in only 19% of male students as compared to 27% of females among those using mobiles beyond 6 h. Besides, 14% of males and 18% of females among poor sleepers reported using mobiles <2 h. Further, in 80 respondents (Male: 40 and Female: 40) randomly selected for estimation of their early morning sample, serum melatonin level was estimated as 99.25 +/- 72.07 pg/ml in males and 109.76 +/- 84.54 pg/ ml in females. Conclusion(s): Nearly 2/3rd of poor sleeper, 1st-year medical male students use mobiles for 2-6 h daily during the pandemic while Only 1/2 of the females do. However, among those poor sleepers using mobiles beyond 6 h daily, females outnumbered males. Estimated Serum smelatonin levels were also relatively higher than those reported in nonpandemic studies. Copyright © 2022 Journal of Medical Society Published by Wolters Kluwer-Medknow.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Adherence to disease-modifying therapy is important in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) to increase the positive outcomes and improve the quality of life. This study aimed to determine the effects of Continuous Care Model (CCM) using a smartphone application on adherence to treatment and self-efficacy among MS patients. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study with pre/posttest design was conducted on 72 MS patients in Shiraz, Iran from June 2020 to August 2021. The samples were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 36) and control (n = 36) groups. In the intervention group, the CCM using a smartphone application was implemented during two months. However, no intervention was performed for the control group. The data were collected using the self-report Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Adherence Questionnaire (MS-TAQ) and MS Self-Efficacy Scale (MSSS) at baseline and two and four months after the intervention. RESULTS: The results showed an improvement in adherence to treatment and self-efficacy in the intervention group compared to the control group after implementing the virtual CCM and at the two-month follow-up (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Implementing the CCM using a smartphone application resulted in improvements in the MS patients' adherence to treatment and self-efficacy. It can be concluded that providing care using an interactive multimedia application can improve the outcomes as well as patients' satisfaction, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this approach is recommended to be used for nurses, healthcare providers, and clinicians.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Multiple Sclerosis , Humans , Multiple Sclerosis/therapy , Pandemics , Quality of Life , SARS-CoV-2 , Self Efficacy , SmartphoneABSTRACT
Background: The use of smart phones inside hospitals especially in clinically sensitive areas is a subject of debate because it may improve the quality of healthcare but can also be a vehicle of hospital acquired infections. Aim: To determine dentist's knowledge and behavior related to the use of smart phones in clinical environment and to determine the presence of microbial growth on these devices. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which validated survey tool was used to collect data about knowledge and behavior of 397 dental graduates from 8 dental colleges of Pakistan, regarding their usage of smart phones in clinical environment. Bacterial isolates were collected from the smart phones of 45 participants from Fatima Memorial Dental Hospital, Lahore. Results: The SPTC Scale was used to divide the participants into 3 categories;low, moderate and high users. The behavior related to smart phone usage in clinical environment was significantly different among the participants. Moderate users had significantly higher average behavior score of 3.7 (p-value = 0.034). The growth of pathogenic bacterial flora was greater on high users of smart phones (95%,) whereas those participants who were low users the percentage was 37%. Conclusion: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are increasing significantly in number of patients and these can be prevented by adhering to proper hand hygiene practices and if hand hygiene is improved the amount of bacterial load will be less and disinfection of smart phone devices will not be required.
ABSTRACT
The outbreak of Covid-19 epidemic has been a once in an event which had altered the life as we had known. Governments and authorities across the world had taken every possible cautious action to avoid the spread of this unusual corona virus outbreak with prime concern over quarantines and lock downs forcing people to stay at their homes. This epidemic had ramifications in the media and entertainment industries, with severe consequences for films, entertainment events, theme parks and other conventional sources of entertainment. As a diversion from boredom, the first lockdown imposed behavior modifications and promoted experimentation. This has made the entertainment business significantly less predictable, necessitating far more flexible and reactive content suppliers, particularly traditional broadcasters. However, as the duration of these lockdowns stretched, people started to look for alternative sources of entertainment to keep their sanity in such stressful periods. This in turn resulted into an increase in digital media consumption in India. The purpose of this study is to determine the most powerful source of entertainment of this period, including a change away from conventional media, particularly among the younger generation, while also analyzing the demands of their forefathers. It has been observed that the millennial generation doesn't prefer radio as compared to older generations do, and the decline in usage and shift in behavior is striking. The younger generation has stopped listening to the radio and has instead resorted to streaming, with many of those surveyed preferring on-demand choices. This illustrates that younger music enthusiasts just aren't as interested in radio as their elder siblings, parents, and grandparents were, which also demonstrates that streaming is generally more desirable. As part of the research, a response from more than 100 persons was sought from various generations which have formed the basis of conclusions of this study.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Mobile devices and smartphones have made technology in healthcare more accessible to patients, with COVID-19 further expediting the integration of technology into healthcare. Depression and anxiety are measured via self-report, personality assessments, or during a psychological evaluation with a mental health clinician. These methods of assessing symptomatology lack the benefits of today's technology. This study aims to explore the utility of passive and portable data collection in individuals with anxiety and depression. Materials / Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted through ScienceDirect, PubMed, NCBI, and JMIR electronic databases for studies that were published between 2015-2021 using the following keywords: depression, mobile health, digital phenotyping, mobile applications, mobiles phones, passive EMA, psychiatric assessment, and mhealth. Inclusion criteria;(1) peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2021;(2) studies published in English;(3) studies that use data sensors to monitor and measure the symptomatology of anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular health. A total of 15 studies met criteria. Result(s): Of the 13 studies reviewed, all found at least some correlation between mobile phone usage and depressive symptomatology. 5 studies found a large correlation between GPS data and severity of depressive symptomatology. Contrastingly, one study found that, although people with depressive symptoms spend less time calling and texting others, they spend more time on their phones. Another study states that individuals with depression let their phones ring for longer and have more missed calls. Additionally, 6 studies found a correlation between usage and anxious symptomatology. Mobile phone utilization was found to be far less correlated with anxiety and is a weaker predictor of such symptomatology. The studies found that increased calls, speech presence, and social media usage were directly correlated with increased anxiety. Discussion(s): All research analyzed shows the significance of passive sensor data when screening individuals for emotional symptomatology. This is stated with the implication that EMA are used alongside the sensor data to give a comprehensive picture of the patient. GPS data plays a central role in the ability to screen for symptomatology related to depression and anxiety due to location variability or lack thereof. Conclusion(s): Future research should focus on longer-term studies, that collect more passive data, and have larger sample sizes to ensure that the full extent of interaction between these pathologies can be understood. It should also be noted that other sensors such as ambient light and audio sensors displayed significant results, however, data on their ability to correlate to symptomatology is limited. Learning Objectives: 1. Learn the new and emerging methods of screening for depression and anxiety. 2. Learn new ways to interpret passive sensor data. 3. Learn how a combined approach of passive data collection and active EMA can improve the identification of symptomatology. Keywords: mobile health, digital phenotyping, passive EMA, psychiatric assessment, mobile sensors, depression Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS is now a manageable chronic illness owing to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), which involves routine follow-up care, including regular physical visits to the clinic. In the recent past, and in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased need for virtual care and intervention delivery, a modality known as mobile health (mHealth), which includes cell phone-delivered services for medical and public health practice. OBJECTIVE: Here we describe cell phone use and its relationship with alcohol use in a cohort of persons living with HIV and latent tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a cohort of persons living with HIV and latent TB in HIV care in southwestern Uganda. We estimated proportions of cell phone and text message use and evaluated their associations with alcohol use-a common modifiable behavior among persons living with HIV. Cell phone use (primary outcome) was defined as owning a cell phone that is turned on at least half of the day. Any alcohol use was defined as any self-reported alcohol use in the prior 3 months or a phosphatidylethanol (an alcohol biomarker) level of ≥8 ng/mL. RESULTS: A total of 300 participants (median age 40 years; n=146, 48.7% male) were included in the analysis. Most (n=267, 89.0%) participants had access to a phone and of them, 26 (9.7%) shared the phone with someone else. In total, 262/300 (87.3%) of participants owned a cell phone that is turned on at least half of the time; the majority (n=269, 89.7%) rarely or never sent text messages, and over two-thirds (n=200, 66.9%) rarely or never received text messages. Most (n=214, 71.3%) had any alcohol use in the prior 3 months. In adjusted analyses, any alcohol use was not significantly associated with cell phone use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.48, 95% CI 0.18-1.25; P=.13) or sending (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.28-2.37; P=.71) or receiving (aOR 1.31, 95% CI 0.70-2.47; P=.40) text messages. CONCLUSIONS: There is hope that mHealth interventions in this population can be carried out using cell phones owing to their popularity; however, the interventions may need to employ methods that do not rely on the sending and receiving of text messages only.