Federal Efforts to Advance Public Health and Health Research with Mobile Technology

ICF International has invited expert panelists from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to discuss findings from the 2012 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The survey suggests that 25 percent of all American households have mobile phones only. A 2012 survey by Nielsen also suggests that almost 50 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers own a smartphone. This portends an increasing use of these devices to search for health information as illustrated by a 2012 Pew Internet and American Life Project Survey.

As the adoption rate of mobile health technology increases, opportunities for using these devices in a research setting are increasingly being investigated. Moreover, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other U.S. federal agencies are considering regulation of mobile medical apps. Thus, this forum will address three specific areas:

• How the development of mobile health technologies is facilitated by the U.S. Federal Government
• How mobile medical applications for behavioral research is applied to weight control, physical activity, and diet
• Policy considerations in the regulation of mobile medical applications

Join us for this live event, moderated by ICF's Lew Berman, to hear first-hand about U.S. federal efforts to advance public health and health research with mobile technology.