"Designing and evaluating engaging mHealth behavior change programs for youth", Dr. Michele Ybarra

Presented on 11/2/2022. When the Internet first hit the world stage, interventionists were excited about the possibilities of reaching and engaging people with behavior change programming. Quickly, however, we discovered that just because we built it didn’t mean they would come. While designing engaging programming is the cornerstone to affecting public health outcomes in mHealth programs, it often is a black box that is incompletely described. Additional challenges can be lurking in the recruitment of young people on social media, particularly as both the app preferences of youth and advertising policies are evolving. In this session, we will talk about designing for and recruiting young people into mHealth behavior change programs, and that outcomes of such programs. Speaker bio: Dr. Ybarra is a recognized public health researcher with a focus on technology-related health issues for young people. She has led the development and evaluation of multiple text messaging-based behavior change programs on myriad topics including smoking cessation, healthy sexuality, and bullying. Harnessing the full potential of technology-mediated interventions, Dr. Ybarra had led evaluations of mHealth programs at the national level in the United States, as well as in Turkey and Uganda. She also is known for her contributions in the area of youth violence, particularly those which are technology-mediated. Dr. Ybarra is the President and Research Director of the Center for Innovative Public Health Research, a non-profit research incubator located in Orange County, California, where she has led 12 federally funded research projects and co-led an additional three. She earned her doctorate in child mental health services research from the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where she is currently an Adjunct Professor. Disclaimer: The information and content in these presentations represent the views and opinions of the presenters and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health. The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only.