Telehealth Access and Chronic Disease Management Among Urban Youth in Lagos: An Informatics Perspective

Telehealth services have gained traction as a viable option for chronic disease management in urban settings, particularly among youth with limited access to healthcare facilities. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving a survey of 300 participants aged 15-24 years who have been diagnosed with at least one chronic condition. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics to identify patterns and inferential statistics to test hypotheses about programme usage and outcomes. The survey revealed that 65% of respondents had limited or no access to traditional healthcare services, which led them to use telehealth platforms for managing their conditions. However, only 40% reported consistently using these services due to concerns about reliability and technical issues. Despite the challenges faced by urban youth in Lagos with chronic diseases, telehealth programmes have shown promise as a viable alternative. Future research should focus on overcoming logistical barriers to ensure equitable access for all. Healthcare providers should prioritise improving infrastructure and user-friendly interfaces for telehealth platforms to enhance their accessibility among young patients. Policy makers must also consider mandating the inclusion of these services in public health initiatives. Lagos, urban youth, chronic diseases, telehealth access, youth healthcare Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.