Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Causal Relationship Between Mobile Health Wearable Devices’ Use And Improved Hypertension Management In African-Born Immigrants Aged 45-75 In Maricopa County, Arizona, Nelson Mcnova Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if differences exist between the use of mHealth wearable devices, specifically smartwatches, and the improvement in hypertension control. The target participants were 100 African-born immigrants, both males and females aged 45-75 who lived in Maricopa County, Arizona. In the study, 100 research participants with a hypertension diagnosis were divided into two equal groups. Group 1 consisted of 50 African-born immigrants who used mHealth wearable devices, specifically the Dafit M2 smartwatches to manage hypertension (which they received for free from the researcher). Group 2 consisted of 50 African-born immigrants who used a …

Dyadic Digital Health Interventions: Their Rationale And Implementation, Kelly M. Shaffer, Lindsay S. Mayberry, Emily Georgia Salivar, Brian D. Doss, Amanda M. Lewis, Kimberly Canter

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

While most psychosocial and behavioral digital health interventions have been designed to be consumed by an individual, intervening at the level of a dyad – two interdependent individuals – can more comprehensively address the needs of both individuals and their relationship. The clinical utility of the dyadic digital health intervention approach, as well as the practical implementation of this design, will be demonstrated via three examples: eSCCIP, FAMS, and OurRelationship.

Design And Development Of A Mobile Health (Mhealth) Platform For Dementia Prevention In The Prevention Of Dementia By Mobile Phone Applications (Prodemos) Project, Melanie Hafdi, Esmé Eggink, Marieke P. Hoevenaar-Blom, M. Patrick Witvliet, Sandrine Andrieu, Linda Barnes, Carol Brayne, Rachael Brooks, Nicola Coley, Jean Georges, Abraham Van Der Groep, Harm Van Marwijk, Mark Van Der Meijden, Libin Song, Manshu Song, Youxin Wang, Wenzhi Wang, Wei Wang, Anders Wimo, Xiaoyan Ye, Eric P. Moll Van Charante, Edo Richard, Prodemos Consortium

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Mobile health (mHealth) has the potential to bring preventive healthcare within reach of populations with limited access to preventive services, by delivering personalized support at low cost. Although numerous mHealth interventions are available, very few have been developed following an evidence-based rationale or have been tested for efficacy. This article describes the systematic development of a coach-supported mHealth application to improve healthy lifestyles for the prevention of dementia and cardiovascular disease in the United Kingdom (UK) and China.

Methods:

Development of the Prevention of Dementia by Mobile Phone applications (PRODEMOS) platform built upon the experiences with the Healthy Aging …

Identifying App-Based Meditation Habits And The Associated Mental Health Benefits: Longitudinal Observational Study, Chad Stecher, Vincent Berardi, Ryan Fowers, Jaclyn Christ, Yunro Chung, Jennifer Huberty

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Behavioral habits are often initiated by contextual cues that occur at approximately the same time each day; so, it may be possible to identify a reflexive habit based on the temporal similarity of repeated daily behavior. Mobile health tools provide the detailed, longitudinal data necessary for constructing such an indicator of reflexive habits, which can improve our understanding of habit formation and help design more effective mobile health interventions for promoting healthier habits.

Objective: This study aims to use behavioral data from a commercial mindfulness meditation mobile phone app to construct an indicator of reflexive meditation habits …

Usability And Acceptability Of A Mobile App For Behavior Change And To Improve Immunization Coverage Among Children In Pakistan: A Mixed-Methods Study, Abdul Momin Kazi, Nazia Ahsan, Waliyah Mughis, Saima Jamal, Raheel Allana, Mehreen Raza, Sahrish Muneer, Muhammad Ayub Khan Mughal, Hussain Kalimuddin, Fareeha Sameen

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Pakistan's immunization uptake rates are still significantly lower than anticipated despite several initiatives. Lack of awareness, forgetting about vaccination schedule, and vaccine misconception/misinformation are a few of the major drivers that mitigate the rates of immunization. The current COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes the importance of immunization. The significant reductions in regular childhood vaccination during pandemic have increased the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Concerns among parents over possibly exposing their children to COVID-19 during child visits may have contributed to the reported declines. Innovative and cost-effective mHealth interventions must be implemented in order to address the problem of inadequate …

When Do Drivers Interact With In-Vehicle Well-Being Interventions? An Exploratory Analysis Of A Longitudinal Study On Public Roads, Kevin Koch, Varun Mishra, Shu Liu, Thomas Berger, Elgar Fleisch, David Kotz, Felix Wortmann

Dartmouth Scholarship

Recent developments of novel in-vehicle interventions show the potential to transform the otherwise routine and mundane task of commuting into opportunities to improve the drivers' health and well-being. Prior research has explored the effectiveness of various in-vehicle interventions and has identified moments in which drivers could be interruptible to interventions. All the previous studies, however, were conducted in either simulated or constrained real-world driving scenarios on a pre-determined route. In this paper, we take a step forward and evaluate when drivers interact with in-vehicle interventions in unconstrained free-living conditions.

To this end, we conducted a two-month longitudinal study with 10 …

Using Mobile Phones To Improve Young People Sexual And Reproductive Health In Low And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review To Identify Barriers, Facilitators, And Range Of Mhealth Solutions, Anam Shahil Feroz, Naureen Akber Ali, Adeel Khoja, Armish Asad, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

Background: Globally, reproductive health programs have used mHealth to provide sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education and services to young people, through diverse communication channels. However, few attempts have been made to systematically review the mHealth programs targeted to improve young people SRH in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This review aims to identify a range of different mHealth solutions that can be used for improving young people SRH in LMICs and highlight facilitators and barriers for adopting mHealth interventions designed to target SRH of young people.
Methods: Databases including PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Science Direct, Cochrane Central, and grey literature were searched …

Development And Feasibility Of A Mobile Phone Application Designed To Support Physically Inactive Employees To Increase Walking, Joanna C. Nicholas, Nikos Ntoumanis, Brendan J. Smith, Eleanor Quested, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2021, The Author(s). Background: Physical inactivity is a global health concern. mHealth interventions have become increasingly popular, but to date, principles of effective communication from Self-Determination Theory have not been integrated with behavior change techniques to optimize app effectiveness. We outline the development of the START app, an app combining SDT principles and 17 purposefully chosen BCTs to support inactive office employees to increase their walking during a 16-week randomized controlled trial. We also explored acceptability, engagement with, associations between app usage and behavioral engagement, and perceived impact of the app in supporting behavior change. Methods: Following development, fifty …

A New Era: Utilizing Technology Tools To Enhance Elder Independence, April Lisa Phelps

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The goal of this integrative review was to examine the multitude of technology tools and the evidence which supports their use to enhance elders’ independence when residing at home. Multiple journal articles and books published between July 2015 and July 2020 were examined using the PRISMA model for evidence to support or oppose the use of technology to enhance the elders’s independence. A total of 27 articles were included in the final review. An exploration of gaps in knowledge related to the issue of elders using technology tools such as wearable sensors, artificial intelligence, home monitoring, robots, mHealth, Internet of …

Operability, Usefulness, And Task-Technology Fit Of An Mhealth App For Delivering Primary Health Care Services By Community Health Workers In Underserved Areas Of Pakistan And Afghanistan: Qualitative Study, Shehla Zaidi, Abdul Momin Kazi, Atif Riaz, Ammarah Ali, Rabia Najmi Taha, Rawshan Jabeen, Umerdad Khudadad, Saleem Sayani

Community Health Sciences

Background: The recent proliferation of digital health technology in low- and middle-income countries has made it possible for community health workers (CHWs) to use mobile health (mHealth) to perform tasks such as data collection and training. Although most studies focus on the prospect of digital apps to motivate and connect CHW, only a few have captured end-user experiences with mobile-based apps. We examined the experience of frontline health workers with a move towards digitalized real-time data to record maternal and childcare services in remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Objective: Our study aimed to explore CHW perceptions on the operability …

A Smartphone-Based Support Group For Alcoholism: Effects Of Giving And Receiving Emotional Support On Coping Self-Efficacy And Risky Drinking, Woohyun Yoo, Dhavan V. Shah, Ming-Yuan Chih, David H. Gustafson

Health and Clinical Sciences Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature and effects of exchanging emotional support via a smartphone-based support group for patients with alcohol dependence. Of the 349 patients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) criteria for alcohol dependence, 153 patients participated in the discussion group within the Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System, a smartphone application aimed at reducing relapse. This was developed to prevent problem drinking by offering individuals in recovery for alcohol dependence automated 24/7 recovery support services and frequent assessment of their symptom status as part of their addiction care. …

Untold Stories In User-Centered Design Of Mobile Health: Practical Challenges And Strategies Learned From The Design And Evaluation Of An App For Older Adults With Heart Failure., Victor Philip Cornet, Tammy Toscos Phd, Davide Bolchini, Romisa Rohani Ghahari, Ryan Ahmed, Carly Daley, Michael J. Mirro Md, Richard J Holden

Health Services and Informatics Research

BACKGROUND: User-centered design (UCD) is a powerful framework for creating useful, easy-to-use, and satisfying mobile health (mHealth) apps. However, the literature seldom reports the practical challenges of implementing UCD, particularly in the field of mHealth.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to characterize the practical challenges encountered and propose strategies when implementing UCD for mHealth.

METHODS: Our multidisciplinary team implemented a UCD process to design and evaluate a mobile app for older adults with heart failure. During and after this process, we documented the challenges the team encountered and the strategies they used or considered using to address those challenges.

RESULTS: We …

Automatic Recognition, Segmentation, And Sex Assignment Of Nocturnal Asthmatic Coughs And Cough Epochs In Smartphone Audio Recordings: Observational Field Study, Filipe Barata, Peter Tinschert, Frank Rassouli, Claudia Steurer-Stey, Elgar Fleisch, Milo Puhan, Martin Brutsche, David Kotz, Tobias Kowatsch

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic respiratory diseases. Despite increased investment in treatment, little progress has been made in the early recognition and treatment of asthma exacerbations over the last decade. Nocturnal cough monitoring may provide an opportunity to identify patients at risk for imminent exacerbations. Recently developed approaches enable smartphone-based cough monitoring. These approaches, however, have not undergone longitudinal overnight testing nor have they been specifically evaluated in the context of asthma. Also, the problem of distinguishing partner coughs from patient coughs when two or more people are sleeping in the same room using contact-free audio …

Mobile Consulting (Mconsulting) And Its Potential For Providing Access To Quality Healthcare For Populations Living In Low-Resource Settings Of Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Frances Griffiths, Jocelyn Anstey Watkins, Caroline Huxley, Bronwyn Harris, Jonathan Cave, Senga Pemba, Beatrice Chipwaza, Romaina Iqbal, Saleem Sayani, Komal Tabani

Community Health Sciences

Objective: The poorest populations of the world lack access to quality healthcare. We defined the key components of consulting via mobile technology (mConsulting), explored whether mConsulting can fill gaps in access to quality healthcare for poor and spatially marginalised populations (specifically rural and slum populations) of low- and middle-income countries, and considered the implications of its take-up.
Methods: We utilised realist methodology. First, we undertook a scoping review of mobile health literature and searched for examples of mConsulting. Second, we formed our programme theories and identified potential benefits and hazards for deployment of mConsulting for poor and spatially marginalised populations. …

Leveraging The Use Of Mhealth In Patients With Depression Among Low- And Middle- Income Countries, Naureen Akber Ali, Adeel Khoja

School of Nursing & Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Mobile Personal Healthcare System For Non-Invasive, Pervasive And Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring: A Feasibility Study, Luis J. Mena, Vanessa G. Felix, Rodolfo Ostos, Armando J. Gonzalez, Rafael Martinez-Pelaez, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background: Smartphone-based blood pressure (BP) monitor using photoplethysmogram (PPG) technology has emerged as a promising approach to empower users with self-monitoring for effective diagnosis and control ofhypertension (HT).

Objective: This study aimed to develop a mobile personal healthcare system for non-invasive, pervasive, and continuous estimation of BP level and variability to be user-friendly to elderly.

Methods: The proposed approach was integrated by a self-designed cuffless, calibration-free, wireless and wearable PPG-only sensor, and a native purposely-designed smartphone application using multilayer perceptron machine learning techniques from raw signals. We performed a pilot study with three elder adults (mean age 61.3 ± 1.5 …

Utilizing Digital Health To Collect Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes In Prostate Cancer: Single-Arm Pilot Trial, Christine Tran, Ms, Adam Dicker, Md, Phd, Benjamin Leiby, Phd, Eric Gressen, Md, Noelle Williams, Md, Heather Jim, Phd

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Background: Measuring patient-reported outcomes (PROs) requires an individual’s perspective on their symptoms, functional status, and quality of life. Digital health enables remote electronic PRO (ePRO) assessments as a clinical decision support tool to facilitate meaningful provider interactions and personalized treatment.

Objective: This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of collecting ePROs using validated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaires for prostate cancer.

Methods: Using Apple ResearchKit software, the Strength Through Insight app was created with content from validated HRQoL tools 26-item Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) or EPIC for Clinical Practice and 8-item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Advanced …

Accuracy Of Vital Signs Measurements By A Smartwatch And A Portable Health Device: Validation Study., Christina Hahnen, Cecilia G. Freeman, Nilanjan Haldar, Jacquelyn N. Hamati, Dylan M. Bard, Vignesh Murali, Geno J. Merli, Jeffrey I. Joseph, Noud Van Helmond

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: New consumer health devices are being developed to easily monitor multiple physiological parameters on a regular basis. Many of these vital sign measurement devices have yet to be formally studied in a clinical setting but have already spread widely throughout the consumer market.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy and precision of heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and oxygen saturation (SpO₂) measurements of 2 novel all-in-one monitoring devices, the BodiMetrics Performance Monitor and the Everlast smartwatch.

METHODS: We enrolled 127 patients (>18 years) from the …

Operability, Acceptability, And Usefulness Of A Mobile App To Track Routine Immunization Performance In Rural Pakistan: Interview Study Among Vaccinators And Key Informants, Shehla Zaidi, Saqib Ali Shaikh, Saleem Sayani, Abdul Momin Kazi, Adeel Khoja, Syed Shahzad Hussain, Rabia Najmi

Community Health Sciences

Background: There has been a recent spate of mobile health (mHealth) app use for immunizations and other public health concerns in low- and middle-income countries. However, recent evidence has largely focused on app development or before-and-after effects on awareness or service coverage. There is little evidence on the factors that facilitate adoption of mHealth programs, which is critical to effectively embed digital technology into mainstream health systems.

Objective: This study aimed to provide the qualitative experiences of frontline health staff and district managers while engaging with real-time digital technology to improve the coverage of routine childhood immunization in an underserved …

Implementing A Mobile Health System To Integrate The Treatment Of Addiction Into Primary Care: A Hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness Study, Andrew Quanbeck, David H. Gustafson, Lisa A. Marsch, Ming-Yuan Chih, Rachel Kornfield, Fiona Mctavish, Roberta Johnson, Randall T. Brown, Marie-Louise Mares, Dhavan V. Shah

Health and Clinical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Despite the near ubiquity of mobile phones, little research has been conducted on the implementation of mobile health (mHealth) apps to treat patients in primary care. Although primary care clinicians routinely treat chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes, they rarely treat addiction, a common chronic condition. Instead, addiction is most often treated in the US health care system, if it is treated at all, in a separate behavioral health system. mHealth could help integrate addiction treatment in primary care.

Objective: The objective of this paper was to report the effects of implementing an mHealth system for addiction in …