Evidence-informed parenting programs have been shown to improve parenting skills and reduce youth internalizing behaviors and substance use [1,2]. However, the reach of these programs is limited, particularly among Latinx families [1]. Mobile technology has the potential to aid in the dissemination of evidence-based parenting programs [3]. As Latinx families are high users of mobile phones, more specifically smartphones, parent-focused apps designed for this population may help increase access to evidence-based programming and ultimately reduce adolescent mental health and substance use health disparities [4,5].

Latinx individuals are leading users of smartphones [6]. From 2009 to 2016, the use of the internet in the United States nearly doubled among Spanish-dominant Latinxs (from 36% to 74%). In comparison, the use of the internet rose from 87% to 95% among English-dominant Latinxs and rose from 80% to 89% among whites. This narrowing of the gap in internet access is primarily because of the increased use of smartphones [6,7]. Broadband access to the internet among Spanish-dominant Latinxs was still relatively low in 2016 (ie, 21%) compared with 65% of English-dominant Latinxs and 73% of whites. These trends have prompted a call for health promotion efforts to focus on reaching immigrant Latinxs and Spanish speakers via mobile technology, especially through smartphones [5,8]. Despite the promise of mobile technology programs, 1 review of electronic health (eHealth) efforts found that less than 1% of programs were designed for Latinx communities [5], underscoring the need for research in this emerging area.

Uptake of mobile health technology is a critical concern to the success of eHealth interventions [9], and barriers to its successful uptake include low formal education levels, lack of health care access, and attitudes about technology or health, particularly for low-literacy and Spanish-speaking Latinx community members [8]. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches may bridge trust gaps between the health care providers and community while marshaling support for eHealth implementation. Several key principles characterize CBPR approaches [10,11]. First, CBPR recognizes community as an entity that is a full partner at all stages of the research process [11,12]. Second, CBPR emphasizes egalitarian partnerships. Third, participatory approaches invest in change with the goal of reducing health disparities. Fourth, CBPR focuses on local problems, using a strengths-based approach. Fifth, cyclical processes are expected in CBPR research. Sixth, collaborating with different partners fosters humility, colearning, and capacity building. Seventh, CBPR includes commitment to a long-term investment with an eye toward sustainability. By involving end users throughout the development process, CBPR provides important strategies to build community perspectives and practical priorities into the design process, thus maximizing utility for Latinx parents [10,13]. CBPR increases translation of health equity programs into practice through participation of end users and stakeholders in the development and testing of interventions to improve their relevance, acceptability, and efficacy [14]. The CBPR approach recognizes the knowledge, expertise, and resources of communities.

In this paper, we apply a CBPR approach to the Center for eHealth Research and Disease Management (CeHRes) Roadmap for designing eHealth technology [13]. In particular, we illustrate the design of a smartphone app for parents, with the long-term goal of reducing internalizing symptoms and substance use among Latinx youth. We present the process of designing the PIJP mobile app, guided by the CeHRes Roadmap. The CeHRes Roadmap is a framework based on 16 models of eHealth development, incorporating an iterative process of design by integrating feedback from stakeholders and end users [13]. This makes it a human-centered process rather than a technology-centered process. Feedback should be recorded, and flexibly should be incorporated into the design of the app at every step of the process [15]. The CeHRes Roadmap outlines 5 phases of design for eHealth development [13]—contextual inquiry, value specification, design, operationalization, and evaluation (see Table 1). This has been described as a participatory development approach [13].

The purpose of this paper was to describe how a community-based participatory approach was applied to the adaptation of the face-to-face PIJP curriculum and the development of the mobile app. We had the following aims: (1) to explore Latinx parents’ access to technology, current use of technology, and intentions to use a parenting app, based on a mixed methods contextual inquiry; (2) to identify the stakeholder values and parent desires for a parenting/stress reduction app and wearable device to support awareness of stress levels that could affect parenting; and (3) to synthesize and integrate parent feedback about the mobile app mockup and the working prototype into the design of the mobile app.

In this paper, we discuss the findings, as they are relevant to the 5 phases of the CeHRes Roadmap. As a method of conducting research that is rooted deeply in community involvement, CBPR naturally fits with the participatory design process of CeHRes.

The Padres Informados/Jovenes Preparados (PIJP) program was developed using a CBPR approach. The PIJP partnership began in 2007 to support parents and youth to reduce smoking by developing a culturally-grounded parenting program. The development of PIJP included Latinx-serving organizations and Latinx parents of youth who helped align parent and community priorities. Guided by social cognitive theory and positive youth development principles [20,21], PIJP focuses on core cultural values while building family relationship characteristics and parenting practices most closely associated with substance use prevention. Parenting practices include monitoring of children’s whereabouts and activities as well as the use of effective and consistent discipline. As part of the face-to-face delivery of the PIJP program, parents attended 8 weekly 2-hour sessions. A total of 4 sessions of a complementary youth program were delivered conjointly with the parent sessions. The program and face-to-face delivery are described in greater detail in a study by Allen et al [22]. Results from a randomized, wait-list trial (2011 to 2013) demonstrated that the program lowered intention to smoke among youth who reported low levels of traditional Latinx cultural values. Family relational training resulted in improved family relations characterized by increased attachment, warmth, and support; decreased conflict; and increased acceptance and constructive communication [23].

Building the PIJP mobile app was part of a larger action-oriented dissemination plan—a call to action in response to community needs [11,17]. Dissemination of the PIJP program occurred through a 3-pronged approach: (1) developing a website to easily disseminate the program materials to local facilitators, (2) piloting a train-the-trainer model to ensure fidelity of delivery, and (3) developing a mobile app that parents could access directly. A website was developed to disseminate PIJP program materials, and the program has been disseminated using the train-the-trainer model in a metropolitan area in the Midwest of the United States. Methods to develop the mobile app are described in the following sections.

A multidisciplinary team of PIJP stakeholders—critical for eHealth research and development [13]—has continued to regularly attend a monthly community-participatory research meeting for over 10 years. As the dissemination phase launched 5 years ago, 2 authors (JD and JM) joined the collaborative and have led the mobile app development. The PIJP stakeholders include leadership from a local community serving agency, a physician from a Latinx-serving clinic, a public health outreach specialist, and university researchers and extension specialists. To lay the groundwork for the PIJP app, stakeholders discussed and approved a mixed methods research plan to survey local Latinx parents, interview a subset of parents about their technology use, and obtain feedback on the app design.

A graduate student with experience in human-computer interaction and prototyping, an undergraduate intern, and JD met with a user experience and design expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry to formulate questions and discuss how to translate requirements into design. In addition, 8 stakeholders were invited to participate in individual interviews, and 4 stakeholders participated in 1-hour interviews outside of monthly meetings to gather requirements. The graduate student interviewed stakeholders, while the undergraduate intern took notes. Stakeholders’ and parents’ values were translated into design requirements, keeping communication open throughout the design process so as not to isolate or lose ideas [15]. Experienced Latinx community facilitators of the PIJP program became cocreators of the content that would be selected for the mobile app version of the program. These facilitators were previously trained and had presented the face-to-face PIJP program in the community [19].

We employed a mixed methods design for the formative evaluation to triangulate data and better understand parents’ needs (see Figure 1) [13]. We conducted a quantitative survey (N=115) to achieve a big-picture overview of Latinx parents’ technology use. We then conducted 2 sets of qualitative interviews to gather parent feedback on the usability of the design [24]. The first interview (approximately 60 min; n=20) covered parents’ online interactions, use of technology for parenting, stress reduction resources on the Web, and feedback on the mockup of the mobile app. Our mockup was created using Pop, an app by Marvel, which allowed a simple but interactive prototype of the app using PowerPoint images.

Design of the prototype of the app began 4 months later. Applying Persuasive Systems Design (see Multimedia Appendix 1), we focused on aspects of the app design intended to increase primary task support (eg, increase the target behaviors of positive parenting), dialog support (eg, increase feedback the app gives to parents), and system credibility (eg, increase trustworthiness and real-world feel) [25]. A second interview (approximately 45 min; n=16) was conducted to gather feedback on using the mobile app prototype and parents’ experience using a wearable device. We invited parents to think out loud about the process of navigating through the app. This method has been recognized as a tool for gathering participant feedback in the development of eHealth technologies [26] and fits with the CBPR commitment to incorporate opportunities for community members to provide meaningful input [10,16].

Descriptive statistics were computed on the survey data to understand parents’ access to and current use of technology as well as their intentions to use a parenting app. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationships of technology attitudes and barriers with access and use patterns. To address missing data, we conducted 25 iterations of multiple imputation in Stata.

For qualitative analyses of parent and stakeholder interviews, the first set of interviews were coded by JD and the outreach specialist to reduce the bias of 1 researcher interpreting the data [28]. We met on 2 occasions to discuss coding and reach consensus regarding themes that emerged and design implications.

The CBPR approach supported both quantitative data collection and 2 rounds of qualitative data collection necessary for the iterative process of design (see Table 1). In the first 2 phases of the CeHRes Roadmap, we focused on contextual inquiry and value specification.

This study supports the utility of combining the CeHRes Roadmap with CBPR methods for designing eHealth technology for Latinx families. Using mixed methods, the contextual inquiry phase of the CeHRes Roadmap included a survey of Latinx parents and interviews with a subset of parents. The findings of this study highlighted parents’ engagement with technology and illustrated parents’ desires to improve their parenting skills and knowledge. Latinx parents in the local community were connected to technology. Similar to national findings [7], 96.5% of parents had cell phones, and the majority of parents indicated that they would use an app for parenting (85.6%) or stress reduction (80.2%) if it were available. Technology attitudes and barriers were not associated with parent’s intentions to use a parenting app or wearable device. Although 84.5% of parents reported having a plan for data usage, stakeholders who reviewed survey data were nonetheless concerned that some families would not be able to stream videos.

During qualitative interviews, parents indicated that one of the most important features of a parenting app would be goal setting and tracking capabilities. Interviews illustrated the ways in which Latinx parents wanted to improve their parenting by learning about the developmental stages their children were experiencing, how to discuss sensitive subjects, and ways to better monitor their adolescents. The interviews also demonstrated how Latinx parents used technology in their everyday lives; parents discussed several apps they use daily, but few parents had tried a wearable device or an app focused on relaxation. Interviews with stakeholders further identified the values of community stakeholders, which were translated into requirements for the development of the app.

In the following paragraphs, we discuss the benefits of a CBPR approach to the formative evaluation and application of results to the design of the PIJP app in the first 3 phases of the CeHRes Roadmap. We also discuss future directions for this effort in the last 2 phases, encompassing operationalization through piloting and the implementation and evaluation of the mobile app with community partners.

The first phase of the CeHRes Roadmap, contextual inquiry, informed the initial planning of the app by soliciting multiple viewpoints and exploring the needs and strengths of the community. A contextual approach links to a key principle of CBPR, the commitment to understanding social, structural, and economic factors that may contribute to inequalities [16]. Working with community as full partners facilitated recruitment for the parent survey and interviews, which is a valuable contribution given the difficulty of engaging busy parents [29,30]. Other studies have demonstrated that commitment to include community stakeholders and members increases trust, in part, because potential end users of eHealth technology have familiarity with and input into product development [13].

Stakeholders had already identified the dissemination of the PIJP program as a high priority and agreed that building an app was an innovative and sustainable means to deliver the program to parents. In another PIJP study, researchers found that fathers were less likely to attend meetings face to face compared with mothers; program delivery via technology was identified as a means of increasing fathers’ participation [31]. Other research has also emphasized the importance of a CBPR approach for engaging stakeholders and community partners in eHealth development to improve the sustainability of product use over time [32]. In this study, surveys, the first set of parent interviews, and stakeholder interviews informed the expansion of user requirements with the following additional features: inclusion of goal tracking and reminders for goals. Guided by the parents’ feedback during the second set of parenting interviews, we decided to focus most on foundational parenting information and goals in the first release.

During the second phase of the CeHRes Roadmap, 3 values were identified by stakeholders and parents: familism, adolescent health, and sustainability through economic value. Consistent with formative research conducted for the face-to-face version of PIJP, the value of familism was identified as a social value [22]. Familism refers to the strong sense of importance and connectedness in family relationships and obligations among Latinx people [33]. Parents reported that improving parenting knowledge and supporting their children’s education were key priorities, reflecting the value of familism. Furthermore, parents identified tracking of parenting goals as the most important features of a parenting app, as they responded to a ranking task about important features of the app.

Stakeholders also identified the value of improving adolescent health. They requested future modules on adolescent health topics, such as youth substance use, nutrition, and sexual health. On the basis of the stakeholder interviews, the site map of the proposed mobile app demonstrated the features of the app that we planned to design and showed the priority of each feature for each release. In the first release, we focused on basic parenting modules and goal setting capacity, and in subsequent releases, we plan to focus on wearable integration, social connection, and future topical modules on adolescent health. These decisions were also informed by the parent survey and interviews. In line with the CBPR principles of shared power, the monthly meeting to obtain stakeholder feedback and refine the site map facilitated the integration of community knowledge into the CeHRes Roadmap process [10,16].

The PIJP community-academic group also discussed the potential for economic value, with a focus on sustainability of the PIJP mission and outreach, rather than profit. Stakeholders highlighted the importance of community access as a key value, and we discussed this further in monthly meetings. The possibility of a no-cost or low-cost app was appealing, especially in comparison with some costly programs. When we first discussed integrating a wearable device into the app, cost was a major concern. Some research-intensive wearables have multiple monitors and a focus on measurement [34,35], but Latinx parents in the community were unlikely to buy these or wear them on a regular basis. Furthermore, research-intensive wearables did not have the user-friendly interface that would allow parents to monitor their own stress data. We decided to do feasibility testing with the Spire stone, a commercially available, user-friendly wearable device that tracks breath rate [36]. Our focus in choosing this product was on accessibility, ease of community use, and feasibility from users’ perspective [37]. However, although the wearable device complements the PIJP app, it is not necessary for parents to use the wearable device and engage in relaxation exercises to benefit from the app. The decision to create an accessible product rather than a research-intensive product and to make the wearable device an optional feature would not have been considered without the CBPR approach, which demonstrates that the insights of local stakeholders make valuable contributions to eHealth mobile app development.

In the CeHRes Roadmap, design is defined as “building prototypes that fit with the [identified] values and user requirements [13].” The CBPR process provides a structure to identify values and requirements that meet the needs of marginalized communities. Through close collaboration with the community, the PIJP team was uniquely positioned to design a mobile app based on human-centered design principles. These design principles include a minimalist aesthetic and design, clear navigation, structural consistency, and heavy dependence on understanding and being responsive to users’ needs and skills [38,39]. Inherent in the CeHRes Roadmap is the recognition of persuasive design as a key principle of eHealth development [13]. Working from the CBPR principle of leveraging community assets, we chose to apply a structured model of Persuasive Systems Design, which presents a process of designing eHealth products to “reinforce, change, or shape attitudes or behaviors or both without using coercion or deception” [25]. Collectively, these design principles supported a focus on creating a user-friendly app, identifying salient PIJP content, and making decisions that promoted the feasibility of parents using the app.

The CBPR process leveraged the deep knowledge and experience of Latinx community facilitators, stakeholders, and parents in shaping the delivery of content for the app. Community facilitators of the PIJP program became cocreators of content that would be selected for the mobile app version of the program. These facilitators were previously trained in and had presented the face-to-face PIJP program in the community [11,19]. Stakeholders and community facilitators of the face-to-face program recommended delivering the content through short videos based on their knowledge of the community. The use of videos for the delivery of parenting information in prevention settings has been previously validated [40]. In addition, videos have been recommended for delivering information to Latinx participants in eHealth contexts [5]. We then validated the idea of videos by asking parents to identify the most important and least important potential features of the parenting app. Although parents did not like the idea of long videos (25-30 min in length), they were open to the idea of short videos (3-5 min in length). To address parents’ potential inability to stream content, we also plan to include the written script to each video in Spanish. Parents’ and stakeholders’ feedback on the prototype of the app will be incorporated into the final product, including emphasis on goal setting, shorter videos, and some minor changes to labeling of different app sections. Consistent with a CBPR approach, we engaged stakeholders, facilitators, and parents to ensure community members were cocreators in this process [16]. When communities are invested in the process, acceptability of the end product is more likely [13].

Dovetailing with the CBPR commitment to sustainability, the operationalization phase of the CeHRes Roadmap focuses on both pilot testing and business modeling. This dual process is important to establish viable and sustainable means of implementation, a critical process gap between the development of health care innovations and implementation in health care settings [41]. The operationalization phase and evaluation phase (below) represent future directions for the PIJP app. The pilot study will be conducted in close partnership with the Latinx community, and community members will be a part of the research process [11]. Simultaneously, the process of creating a business plan in a CBPR context requires negotiation and open discussions about partnership [10,11]. This process will help us identify how PIJP creates and delivers value. Furthermore, a business model will identify regulations, opinion leaders in the community, incentives that work with local parents, and opportunities to collaborate with insurance plans [13]. This process includes identifying key partners, resources, activities, and the cost associated with implementation as well as potential customers and distribution channels that may provide revenue. Having a business model before the implementation is critical to successful integration into health systems [18].

The tensions between evidence-based practice, community priorities, and business models need to be weighed carefully in the evaluation phase. For a summative or outcome-focused evaluation, the gold standard for evidence-based practice is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). However, although an RCT may meet research needs, this design lacks the flexibility to meet community needs for those who are in the control group [11]. Therefore, we plan to conduct an optimization trial before considering an RCT. In the context of this project, optimization refers to the process of identifying which components of the app and support systems (such as SMS reminders, weekly check-ins with community health workers, and training on the app) provide the best outcomes at a reasonable cost [42]. To establish the effectiveness of the mobile app and the impact on outcomes, after the design phase, summative evaluation is necessary [13]. To this end, we will conduct an RCT after the optimization trial. However, the idea that an evidence-based product should not change after positive results of an RCT is based on an assumption that the context of participants is not changing. Especially in a rapidly changing technological landscape, evidence-based practice should be coupled with a business model dedicated to ongoing evaluation and assessment of the impact of eHealth technologies on client behaviors, clinical practice, and health outcomes [13]. In the case of PIJP, ongoing collaboration with community stakeholders using CBPR supports long-term sustainability of a product and the commitment for the development and summative evaluation of future planned iterations of the product.

This study follows a carefully designed formative evaluation of community needs and adheres to a well-respected process of building eHealth designs, the CeHRes Roadmap [13]. However, limitations must be acknowledged. Not all stakeholders we contacted were available for interviews, and we instead gathered feedback from some stakeholders at monthly meetings. We used word of mouth and community agencies to recruit participants, resulting in a convenience sample. As a result, the sample may be positively biased toward technology compared with those who did not participate in the formative study. In addition, we were not able to statistically analyze parent’s rankings of best/worst choices of the app features after the interviews. To conduct a best/worst scaling analysis, future studies should be conducted with larger numbers of participants in a survey format [43]. Designing at the community level may meet the needs of local communities but may not be transferable to a greater audience; a balance between meeting community needs and being able to impact population-level health must be reached. It should be noted that the effectiveness of an app may be diminished if participants are unaware of its full functionality. We believe that CBPR is an approach that maximizes the effectiveness of programs, communication with participants, and adaptability of programs at the community level while adhering to evidence-based principles.

The integration of CBPR in developing eHealth technology for the Latinx community has enabled a critical feedback loop of community input into the design process. More specifically, the CBPR approach supported recruitment of parents in the community; built trust through the endorsement of community stakeholders; and leveraged the knowledge of stakeholders, prevention program facilitators, and parents in the process of app development. The PIJP commitment to a CBPR approach added a critical analysis of cultural needs and addressed power sharing in design decisions and business plans, which has the potential to effectively promote health equity [10,16]. By applying CBPR to eHealth technology development and business modeling, technology can be built in such a way to have a wider benefit and expand access for community members. A CBPR framework has the potential to add value to the CeHRes Roadmap and the process of eHealth adaptation of other family-based interventions for Latinx families.