Informal Health Education in Rural, Agricultural Communities Using Mobile Devices Jaspal S. Sandhu, Jonathan Hey, Catherine Newman, Alice M. Agogino University of California, Berkeley

TEDC July of 12 Goal: System for Health Education

TEDC July of 12 Context Farmworkers: migrant, shuttle, seasonal Origin: Mexicans, Filipinos, Jamaicans … Languages: Spanish, English, Tagalog … Low literacy Low-income Immigration status Health issues

TEDC July of 12 Related Work Breast cancer kiosks for Latinas in California (Valdez, 2000) – facility with touchscreens Information behavior of Hispanic farmworkers and their families in Pacific Northwest (Fisher, et al. 2004) Need for and lack of health information: pesticides (Parrot, et al. 1999)

TEDC July of 12 Research Questions What is the most appropriate way to involve the community in the design process? Can we develop a model for sharing of ICT resources and/or information? What role can existing interpersonal networks play in the dissemination of information? Can we use collective facility with technology and/or collective literacy to circumvent technical challenges?

TEDC July of 12 Research Plan Phase 0: Preliminary needs assessment Phase 1: Ethnographic research Phase 2: –Develop prototype system, allowing user needs to drive the design –Usability testing (single users) Phase 3: –Deploy robust system for an experimental group –Test change in knowledge vs. control population (+self-reported behaviors)

TEDC July of 12 Innovation Workshop How can technology better improve the health and safety of farmworkers, their families, and their communities?

TEDC July of 12 Ethnography What are current forms of information access and what is their role? What are the methods of communication within the household and with other members of the community? What are most important needs with respect to health information? What are common household technologies and how are they used?

TEDC July of 12 Preliminary Observations Kids as users –early technology adopters –often bilingual, literate in ≥1 language Existing modes of information access –family/friends in community (in person or via phone) –radio (several programs in San Joaquin Valley especially La Preciosa) –locally-published Spanish newspapers Mobile phone as medium –many farmworker families own at least a single mobile phone –mostly used for local purposes

TEDC July of 12 Continuing Work Ethnography: 2 HHs in nearby community (Aug/Sep 2005) Project with public health students: develop content related to needed health information Design and develop prototype system Usability testing with other members of the same community

TEDC July of 12 Acknowledgements Participating community from Earlimart, Alpaugh, Delano Teresa DeAnda, Californians for Pesticide Reform Gloria Montano, Anita Borg Institute of Women and Technology Prof. Leslie Speer, California College of the Arts California College of the Arts design students UC Berkeley engineering students (course E10)

TEDC July of 12 Funding Procter and Gamble Ricoh Innovation Hewlett-Packard Labs University of California (Discovery Grant) NSF grant #10201