Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37988154›Full record

ArticleJMIR dermatology2023

The Impact of WhatsApp as a Health Education Tool in Albinism: Interventional Study.

Chetanna Chioma Anaje, Chibuzo Ifeanyi Okpala, Nkechi Anne Enechukwu, Ogochukwu Ifeanyi Ezejiofor, Divinefavour Echezona Malachy, Obumneme Kenechukwu Nwiyi

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR dermatology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Chetanna Chioma AnajeDermatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7173-2589
Chibuzo Ifeanyi OkpalaDermatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9070-4004
Nkechi Anne EnechukwuDermatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6708-0485
Ogochukwu Ifeanyi EzejioforDermatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4325-3975
Divinefavour Echezona MalachyFaculty of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi, Nigeria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2238-2225
Obumneme Kenechukwu NwiyiDepartment of Mental Health, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0403-1800
Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital · NGNnamdi Azikiwe University · NG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOculocutaneous albinism is a congenital disorder that causes hypopigmentation of the skin, hair, and eyes due to a lack of melanin. People with albinism are at increased risk of developing skin complications, such as solar keratosis and skin cancers, leading to higher morbidity. As education is crucial in managing albinism, leveraging information technology, such as WhatsApp, can provide an effective intervention for digital health education.

objectiveThis study aims to assess the impact of WhatsApp as a tool for providing health education among people with albinism.

methodsThe design of the study was interventional. The intervention consisted of weekly health education sessions conducted in a WhatsApp group for the duration of 4 weeks. The topics discussed were knowledge of albinism, sun protection practices, the use of sunscreen, and myths about albinism. They were all covered in 4 WhatsApp sessions held in 4 separate days. A web-based questionnaire was filled out before and after the intervention by the participants. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the pre- and postknowledge scores. Spearman correlation was used to correlate data.

resultsThe mean age of the study participants was 28.28 (SD 11.57) years. The number of participants was 140 in the preintervention period and 66 in the postintervention period. A statistically significant increase in overall knowledge (P=.01), knowledge of sunscreen (P=.01), and knowledge of sun protection (P<.01) was observed following the intervention. Before the intervention, a positive correlation was observed between age (r=0.17; P=.03) and education level (r=0.19; P=.02) with participants' overall knowledge. However, after the intervention, there was no significant correlation between knowledge and age or education level. A percentage increase of 5.23% was observed in the overall knowledge scores following the intervention.

conclusionsWhatsApp is an effective tool for educating people with albinism and can act as an alternative to the conventional methods of health education. It shows promising outcomes irrespective of the health literacy level of people with albinism. This educational intervention can positively impact behavior change and translate to consistent sun protection practices. The limitations of this study include the possibility of social desirability bias and data security.

Indexed as

albinismalbinodermatologydigital health educationdigital health interventiondiscussion grouphealth educationmelaninmobile phoneoculocutaneous albinismpatient educationphotodermatosesphotoprotectionskinsmartphonesocial mediasunsunscreenteledermatologyWest AfricaWhatsApp

Identifiers

PMID37988154
PMCPMC10698648
OpenAlexW4388337136

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.