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The promise of wearable sensors and ecological momentary assessment measures for dynamical systems modeling in adolescents: a feasibility and acceptability study

  • Original Research
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Translational Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Intervention development can be accelerated by using wearable sensors and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to study how behaviors change within a person. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a novel, intensive EMA method for assessing physiology, behavior, and psychosocial variables utilizing two objective sensors and a mobile application (app). Adolescents (n = 20) enrolled in a 20-day EMA protocol. Participants wore a physiological monitor and an accelerometer that measured sleep and physical activity and completed four surveys per day on an app. Participants provided approximately 81 % of the expected survey data. Participants were compliant to the wrist-worn accelerometer (75.3 %), which is a feasible measurement of physical activity/sleep (74.1 % complete data). The data capture (47.8 %) and compliance (70.28 %) with the physiological monitor were lower than other study variables. The findings support the use of an intensive assessment protocol to study real-time relationships between biopsychosocial variables and health behaviors.

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Notes

  1. One participant dropped out of the study due to time constraints but provided acceptability data before ending their participation.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher C. Cushing Ph.D..

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Statement on prior publication

The findings reported here have not been previously published and the manuscript is not being simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

Previous reporting of data

These data have not been reported previously.

Full control of primary data

We have the data and will make them available if requested.

Funding sources

The current work was funded by institutional funds granted to the second author by the Oklahoma State University.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical disclosures and informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from a legal guardian for all participants and the child/adolescent also provided informed assent to participate. The authors are compliant with the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics.

Welfare of animals

No animals were used in this study.

IRB approval

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Oklahoma State University.

Additional information

Implications

Practice: Tools that have the capacity to capture physiology, behavior, and psychosocial processes in nearly real time are feasible and acceptable to adolescents given minimal cost and can help to streamline clinical encounters and interventions.

Policy: Efforts to increase collaboration among health psychologists, tech developers, and government agencies may facilitate the development of just-in-time interventions to target health behavior change.

Research: In order to move beyond the current established areas of assessment, research should examine the dynamic relationships between physiology, behavior, and psychosocial processes in nearly real time.

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Brannon, E.E., Cushing, C.C., Crick, C.J. et al. The promise of wearable sensors and ecological momentary assessment measures for dynamical systems modeling in adolescents: a feasibility and acceptability study. Behav. Med. Pract. Policy Res. 6, 558–565 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-016-0442-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-016-0442-4

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