Caminamos: A Smartphone App for Latinas to Connect With Walking Partners

Health disparities are high among Latinas. They are more likely to be overweight, diagnosed
with diabetes, and physically inactive compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts.
Thus, interventions that target improving health access and ameliorating chronic diseases
among Latinas are of high public health importance. Available data suggest that
community-focused interventions produce improvements in physical activity (PA) and are
well-received by Latinas especially when social and physical environments are considered
(e.g., social support, safe walking areas, etc.). Research suggests that Latinos respond
favorably to technological-based health interventions. Thus, health promotion interventions
that can address Latinos' preferences regarding their physical and social environments while
utilizing a preferred technology source (e.g., smartphone) could prove highly successful. In
a Phase I SBIR, our team developed ¡Caminemos Juntas!, an innovative mobile phone app using
Location-based Services (LBS) to connect women within geographically proximal neighborhoods
as a way to provide social support for increased walking behaviors. Specifically, we (a)
gathered feedback from an Expert Advisory Board (EAB) to help plan and assess the feasibility
of creating the app; (b) built connections and gathered input from Latina community leaders
to assist in the conceptual development of the app through a Community Advisory Board (CAB);
(c) conducted an online survey of a national sample of Latinas on their smartphone usage for
health promotion, and interest in social networking and LBS technology features; (d)
conducted iterative focus groups with Latinas to guide development of app content, design,
and aesthetics to fully develop a functioning prototype; (e) conducted field usability
testing with Latinas to test the app's accuracy to establish users' location and connect
users through the ¡Caminemos Juntas! system and users' use and satisfaction with the app; and
(f) developed a specifications document to outline the Phase II development plan. The results
of the Phase I activities provided strong support for this Phase II SBIR application. The
proposed Phase II project will (1) develop a full-scale, fully programmed ¡Caminemos Juntas!
app; (2) determine whether the ¡Caminemos Juntas! app can be translated and adapted to a new
community environment; (3) test the performance, usage, and usability of the full-scale,
fully-programmed app; and (4) evaluate whether ¡Caminemos Juntas! increases physical
activity, social support for exercise, and quality of life (QOL) in Latinas. ¡Caminemos
Juntas! will be evaluated in a randomized comparative-effectiveness trial (n=200) with
Latinas age 18-55 in the Denver, CO and San Jose, CA areas. Overall, the proposed project has
the potential to significantly impact Latinas' health by providing them with real-time
opportunities to connect socially with the goal of walking. ¡Caminemos Juntas! will be the
first app that use geo-location technology dedicated to walking with a social emphasis, for
any population.

Inclusion Criteria:

- between the ages of 18 and 55 years, identify as Hispanic or Latina, identify as a
woman, able to read and speak either English or Spanish, own a smartphone, not
pregnant, consent to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

- Not between the ages of 18 and55 years, not identify as Hispanic or latina, not
identify as a woman, unable to read or speak Spanish or English, pregnant, not own a
smartphone.