Date of Award

12-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Health Policy and Management

First Advisor

Dr.Shifa Habib

Second Advisor

Dr.Saleema Gulzar

Third Advisor

Dr.Abdul Ghaffar

Department

Community Health Sciences

Abstract

Background: Adolescents in low-income areas are often neglected and face barriers in accessing timely care. These barriers contribute to delayed treatment and long-term health complication. School-based telehealth (SBtH) provides opportunity to bridge the healthcare gap and provide convenient and cost-effective care to students within the school premises.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the perceptions of adolescent, parents, teachers, and key informants in low-income areas of Karachi regarding the usefulness, acceptability & school readiness of telehealth programs in school settings.
Methodology: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among students of 14-17 years old from three low-income areas of Karachi. A total of 316 participants were included in the survey. The study questionnaire that administered had three sections: Socio-demographic details, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. A school readiness assessment was also done using checklist. Descriptive analysis was performed using Statistical software for data science (STATA). This was followed by focus group discussion and Key informants’ interviews using purposive sampling. Both findings were then merged using joint display table.v
Results: Among the 329 students, 316 were included for final analysis. The mean age of the participants was 15.3 whereas 56% were male and 44% were female. The mean score for perceived usefulness was found to be significantly associated with gender and area of study (p-value < 0.05). While only age was significantly associated with mean score perceived ease of use. However, disparities in infrastructure were identified: with only a few schools had the necessary resources. Qualitative interview participants also showed strong support and expressed positive perception toward SBtH program.
Conclusion: We identified, positive perception and anticipated usefulness of the program was found to be generally high, with participants appreciating the convenience and potential health benefits. However, Key barriers like lack of infrastructure and limited digital literacy needs attention and highlights the areas for improvement and capacity building. The findings can also guide policymaker for future implementation.

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1

Last Page

156

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