Background: Mobile health (mHealth) technology holds promise for promoting health education and reducing health disparities and inequalities in underserved populations. However, little research has been done to develop mHealth interventions for family caregivers of people with dementia, particularly those in rural Hispanic communities, who often serve as surrogate decision makers for their relatives with dementia. Objective: As part of a larger project to develop and test a novel, affordable, and easy-to-use mHealth intervention to deliver individually tailored materials in rural Hispanic communities, in this pilot study, we aimed to examine (1) characteristics of people with dementia and their family caregivers in rural Hispanic communities, (2) caregivers’ preferences for types and amounts of health information and participation in surrogate decision making, and (3) caregivers’ mobile device usage and their desire for receiving information via mobile devices. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey. A convenience sample of 50 caregivers of people with dementia was recruited from rural health care facilities in Southwest Texas during 3 weeks of April 2017 to May 2017 via word-of-mouth and flyers posted at the facilities. Results: More women than men were in the patient group (χ21=17.2, P<.001 and in the caregiver group p more patients were on medicare medicaid caregivers had private insurance all cases overall of did not have a power attorney for their health care living will or advance directive. interested receiving types information participating decisions although subscales diagnosis treatment laboratory tests self-care complementary alternative medicine levels interest decision-making participation significantly lower than those information. psychosocial subscale desire was greater surrogate differ interests decision making provider subscale. but owned mobile phone smartphone. two-thirds wanted to receive at least little dementia-related via smartphone tablet. amount device women men who tablet likely want own conclusions: rural hispanic communities wide range as well relatives with dementia. there is much need effective mhealth interventions that can provide tailored needs preferences these caregivers.>
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