Abstract
Access to the internet, often via mobile devices, provides individuals with the ability to access the resources and economic opportunities required to live the lives they choose. Using data drawn from the World Health Organization, United Nations Development Program, and World Bank, two levels of analysis are conducted to answer the research questions: “What is the relationship between social determinants of health and human digital development?” and, “What is the relationship between health equity and mHealth?”. First, multiple regression was utilized to test two hypotheses, and second, a k-means cluster analysis was carried out categorize the countries based on these variables. Our results suggest that there is correlation between social determinants of health and human digital development; except in the case of the homelessness variable. Of the health equity variables, only the GINI index correlates with the mobile health index. A four-cluster solution in the cluster analysis illustrates that the majority of countries demonstrate low mHealth, Human Digital Development, GINI and high Education Inequality and Life Expectancy inequality. These findings have implications for how human digital development and mobile health can address social determinants of health. Future research will need to delve deeper into these connections.
Recommended Citation
Qureshi, Sajda; Clarke, Martina; and Kiemde, Lisa, "A Global Health Analysis of Socio-Economic Determinants of Health, and Human Digital Development, Health Equity and mHealth" (2022). GlobDev 2022. 13.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/globdev2022/13