Heterogeneous Mobile Phone Ownership and Usage Patterns in Kenya

The rapid adoption of mobile phone technologies in Africa is offering exciting opportunities for engaging with high-risk populations through mHealth programs, and the vast volumes of behavioral data being generated as people use their phones provide valuable data about human behavioral dynamics in these regions. Taking advantage of these opportunities requires an understanding of the penetration of mobile phones and phone usage patterns across the continent, but very little is known about the social and geographical heterogeneities in mobile phone ownership among African populations. Here, we analyze a survey of mobile phone ownership and usage across Kenya in 2009 and show that distinct regional, gender-related, and socioeconomic variations exist, with particularly low ownership among rural communities and poor people. We also examine patterns of phone sharing and highlight the contrasting relationships between ownership and sharing in different parts of the country. This heterogeneous penetration of mobile phones has important implications for the use of mobile technologies as a source of population data and as a public health tool in sub-Saharan Africa.移动电话技术在非洲的快速普及，为通过移动医疗（mHealth）项目接触高风险人群带来了可观机遇；同时，人们使用手机时产生的海量行为数据，也为研究该地区人类行为动态提供了宝贵资料。要充分利用这些机遇，需要了解整个非洲大陆的手机普及率与手机使用模式，但目前学界对非洲人群中手机拥有量的社会与地域异质性仍知之甚少。本研究针对2009年肯尼亚全国范围内的手机拥有与使用情况开展调查分析，结果显示该国存在显著的区域、性别及社会经济层面差异，其中农村社区与贫困人群的手机拥有率尤其低下。此外，本研究还分析了手机共享的模式，并揭示了该国不同地区手机拥有与共享之间的迥异关联。这种手机普及率的异质性，对于撒哈拉以南非洲地区将移动技术用作人口数据来源与公共卫生工具具有重要启示意义。