Observational studyJMIR mHealth and uHealth2025
Sociodemographic Differences in Logins and Engagement With the Electronic Health Coach Messaging Feature of a Mobile App to Support Opioid and Stimulant Use Recovery: Results From a 1-Month Observational Study.
Observational study in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Weather, air pollution, and migraine: A case-time series analysis examining environmental exposures and transient health outcomes recorded via smartphone application.Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2026Article
- Leveraging a digital health intervention to improve recovery outcomes among people with substance misuse experiencing housing insecurity.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Article
- Clinical Management of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Using a Mobile Health App Within a Primary Care Clinic: Quasi-Experimental Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMobile health apps can serve as a critical tool in supporting the overall health of uninsured and underinsured individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized by the medical community and may be hesitant to seek health care. However, data on uptake and engagement with specific app features (eg, in-app messaging) are often lacking, limiting our ability to understand nuanced patterns of app use.
objectiveThis study aims to characterize sociodemographic differences in uptake and engagement with a smartphone app (uMAT-R) to support recovery efforts in a sample of individuals with opioid and stimulant use disorders in the Greater St. Louis area.
methodsWe enrolled individuals into the uMAT-R service program from facilities providing recovery support in the Greater St. Louis area between January 2020 and April 2022. Study participants were recruited from service project enrollees. We describe the number of logins and electronic health coach (eCoach) messages participants sent in the first 30 days following enrollment using medians and IQRs and counts and proportions of those who ever (vs never) logged in and sent their eCoach a message. We compare estimates across sociodemographic subgroups, by insurance status, and for those who did and did not participate in the research component of the project using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and Pearson chi-square tests.
resultsOf all 695 participants, 446 (64.2%) logged into uMAT-R at least once during the 30 days following enrollment (median 2, IQR 0-8 logins). Approximately half of those who logged in (227/446) used the eCoach messaging feature (median 1, IQR 0-3 messages). Research participants (n=498), who could receive incentives for app engagement, were more likely to log in and use the eCoach messaging feature compared to others (n=197). Younger individuals, those with higher educational attainment, and White, non-Hispanic individuals were more likely to log in at least once compared to their counterparts. The median number of logins was higher among women, and those who were younger, employed, and not on Medicaid compared to their counterparts. Among those who logged in at least once, younger individuals and those with lower educational attainment were more likely to send at least one eCoach message compared to others.
conclusionsMobile apps are a viable tool for supporting individuals in recovery from opioid and stimulant use disorders. However, older individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, and those with lower educational attainment may need additional login support, or benefit from alternative mechanisms of recovery support. In addition, apps may need to be tailored to achieve sustained engagement (ie, repeat logins) among men, and individuals who are older, unemployed, or on Medicaid. Older individuals and those with higher educational attainment who may be less likely to use eCoach messaging features could benefit from features tailored to their preferences.
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Registered trials
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.