05 January 2024 | Vasileios Nittas, Paola Daniore, Sarah J. Chavez & Tyler B. Wray
The article discusses the challenges and potential benefits of culturally adapting digital health interventions (DHIs) to address the digital divide and improve access for traditionally underserved cultural groups. Cultural adaptations involve modifying existing interventions to align with the target audience's cultural norms, beliefs, and values. While this approach has the potential to increase reach and engagement, the evidence supporting its effectiveness is limited. The authors highlight several critical challenges in implementing cultural adaptations, including defining culture, understanding sub-cultures, justifying adaptations, balancing planning and stakeholder interests, ensuring intervention fidelity, and understanding the interaction between health, technology, and culture. They emphasize the need for technology-specific frameworks and realistic steps to guide the adaptation process, ensuring that cultural elements are effectively integrated into DHIs. The article calls for more research to fill the evidence gap and develop best practices for culturally adapting DHIs to address the digital divide.The article discusses the challenges and potential benefits of culturally adapting digital health interventions (DHIs) to address the digital divide and improve access for traditionally underserved cultural groups. Cultural adaptations involve modifying existing interventions to align with the target audience's cultural norms, beliefs, and values. While this approach has the potential to increase reach and engagement, the evidence supporting its effectiveness is limited. The authors highlight several critical challenges in implementing cultural adaptations, including defining culture, understanding sub-cultures, justifying adaptations, balancing planning and stakeholder interests, ensuring intervention fidelity, and understanding the interaction between health, technology, and culture. They emphasize the need for technology-specific frameworks and realistic steps to guide the adaptation process, ensuring that cultural elements are effectively integrated into DHIs. The article calls for more research to fill the evidence gap and develop best practices for culturally adapting DHIs to address the digital divide.