Social determinants of health equity: Does mHealth matter for human development?

Health equity is the absence of systematic disparities in health or the major social determinants of health between social groups (Braveman & Guskin, 2003). This implies that ideally, everyone should be able to access the healthcare they need to be able to lead the lives they chose to live. This means that people do not need universal access to health care, but they do need the care that is specific to their circumstances. Current trends in the use of mobile applications for accessing health information and healthcare providers, appear to address the social determinants of health inequities in some cases. The evidence is anecdotal at best, and few studies have been carried out to investigate this relationship. This paper investigates the effects of social determinants of health on health equity in relation to mHealth use at a global level. It also considers this relationship with human development and the ability of people to lead the lives they choose to live. The findings show correlations among the indicators at the global level. To understand the implications of these findings, we triangulate these findings with qualitative data from a focus group sessions. The contribution of this paper is in understanding the role of mHealth in addressing health equity and human development.