Digital health stations: differences in utilisation and outcomes across socioeconomic and remoteness groups in Queensland – a retrospective study

Background Digital health stations enable users to measure and monitor their health status, including blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage. Located in retail outlets across Australia, they are publicly available and free to use. The objectives of this study are to analyse the utilisation of digital health stations in Queensland, Australia, and assess the health outcomes of users, focusing on differences across remoteness areas and sociodemographic cohorts. Methods The study analysed 427,802 health checks from 273,123 unique users, from January 2018 to May 2023. A generalised linear model examined travel distance and utilisation rates, while binary logistic regression assessed socio-demographics and repeat utilisation. Linear mixed models evaluated changes in BMI and mean arterial pressure (MAP) over time. Results Users residing in major cities travelled 0.03 times as far ( B =-3.38, p <0.001) as remote residents to use a health station. SEIFA Quintile 1 and 4 users travelled significantly less (quintile 1: B= -0.33 p<0.001 and quintile 4: B= -0.27, p<0.001), and those in quintile 3 travelled significantly further (B=0.08, P<0.001) compared to the most advantaged SEIFA quintile (quintile 5). When controlling for access to a health station, postcodes classified as major cities had 0.82 times the number of checks (B=-0.19, p<0.001), inner regional areas 0.77 times the number of checks (B=-0.26, p<0.001), and outer regional areas 0.67 times the number of checks (B=-0.39, p<0.001) per 1,000 population compared to remote areas. Outer regional users were less likely to be repeat users than users from remote areas (OR=0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.98). Females were more likely to be repeat users (OR=1.17, 95% CI 1.14-1.20). Compared to users aged 65 years and over, those aged 16-34 years (OR=0.84, 95% CI=0.80-0.87) were less likely to be repeat users. There was a statistically significant decrease in MAP over time of -3.09mmHg per month for repeat users (B=-3.09, p<0.001), with no significant differences in the rate of decrease across remoteness areas. Conclusion Utilisation varies by sociodemographics, and improvements in blood pressure were observed for repeat utilisation. It is recommended that more stations be located in remote areas of Queensland.