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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Designing A Mobile Application To Support The Indicated Prevention And Early Intervention Of Childhood Anxiety, Mandar Patwardhan, Ashish Amresh, Ryan Stoll, Kevin A. Gary, Derek B. Hamel, Armando Pina Apr 2018

Designing A Mobile Application To Support The Indicated Prevention And Early Intervention Of Childhood Anxiety, Mandar Patwardhan, Ashish Amresh, Ryan Stoll, Kevin A. Gary, Derek B. Hamel, Armando Pina

Ashish Amresh

This paper presents the design of an mHealth application for prevention and early intervention of childhood anxiety. The application is based on REACH, a preventative-early intervention protocol for childhood anxiety. This paper describes the multidisciplinary design process, sharing lessons learned in developing an effective mHealth application. This mHealth application is unique due to participant age, preventive-early intervention focus, and utilization of mobile technology in a situated manner. A design process inspired by user-centered leveraging key informant interviews was used to identify application features, including game based strategies and an animated motivational avatar. Validation was performed through external review and a …


Make Your Garden Grow: Designing A Physical Activity Estimation Improvement Game, Ashish Amresh, Leigh Small Apr 2018

Make Your Garden Grow: Designing A Physical Activity Estimation Improvement Game, Ashish Amresh, Leigh Small

Ashish Amresh

We present a novel game and virtual world based application that is aimed at improving the physical activity estimation skills of parents. It has been well established that lack of proper estimation of preschool children’s activity levels may be one of the main causes for childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has several long term health effects ranging from cardio-vascular disease to type II diabetes and obese preschool children are at risk for later life. We have developed an application that caters to both the parent and the child and uses a virtual garden as a fledgling ecosystem controlled both by the …


Interactive Cause And Effect Comic-Book Storytelling For Improving Nutrition Outcomes In Children, Ashish Amresh, Madhumita Sinha, Rebecca Birr, Rahul Salla Apr 2018

Interactive Cause And Effect Comic-Book Storytelling For Improving Nutrition Outcomes In Children, Ashish Amresh, Madhumita Sinha, Rebecca Birr, Rahul Salla

Ashish Amresh

Obesity among children and adolescents is increasingly becoming a major public health problem. Poverty and lower socio-economic status as well as lack of parental awareness regarding a balanced diet and adequate exercise all contribute towards childhood obesity. Unfortunately minority children have been especially vulnerable, among them inner-city Latino children continue to have the highest incidence rates of overweight and obesity; hence targeted intervention for this population group is of paramount importance. Access and affordability of smartphones and mobile internet devices provide an opportunity to create nutrition education interventions that can significantly impact and change attitude and knowledge regarding healthy diet …


Developing A Bilingual, Computer-Tailored, Hpv Vaccination Promotion Intervention Targeting Latino Parents, Angela Chia-Chen Chen, Ashish Amresh Apr 2018

Developing A Bilingual, Computer-Tailored, Hpv Vaccination Promotion Intervention Targeting Latino Parents, Angela Chia-Chen Chen, Ashish Amresh

Ashish Amresh

In this paper we present an innovative, computer-tailored application aimed at increasing Latino parents' intention to vaccinate their adolescent children against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Latinas have the highest age-adjusted incidence rate for HPV-associated cervical cancer compared with their counterparts in other racial/ethnic groups. HPV vaccines offer hope against HPV-associated diseases. Because parental consent is required for children under age 18 to receive t h e HPV vaccination in most U. S. states, parents' attitudes and intention to have their children vaccinated are keys for promoting HPV …


A Complex Systems Framework Approach Towards Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards, Rahul Salla, Robert Pahle, Ashish Amresh Apr 2018

A Complex Systems Framework Approach Towards Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards, Rahul Salla, Robert Pahle, Ashish Amresh

Ashish Amresh

Multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) are universally recommended and have been used in treatment of late stage cancers. Tumor boards have the advantage of including all the stakeholders in the decision making process and improving quality of care, however several studies have pointed to their lack of efficiency and tend to be lackluster while not producing the desired benefits for the participants. In this paper we present the design of a web based immersive framework for collaborative decision making that has the potential to improve several inefficiencies in conducting tumor boards and improve overall clinical outcomes. We present the design of …


A Pilot Study Of Computerized, Tailored Intervention To Promote Hpv Vaccination In Mexican-Heritage Adolescents, Angaela Chia-Chen Chen, Michael Todd, Ashish Amresh, Usha Menon, Laura Szalacha Jun 2017

A Pilot Study Of Computerized, Tailored Intervention To Promote Hpv Vaccination In Mexican-Heritage Adolescents, Angaela Chia-Chen Chen, Michael Todd, Ashish Amresh, Usha Menon, Laura Szalacha

Ashish Amresh

This study examined feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effect of a computer-tailored intervention aimed at promoting HPV vaccination in Mexican-heritage adolescents aged 11-17. Among 46 Mexican-heritage parents who had one or more eligible children who had not received HPV vaccines, 91% (n = 42) completed the intervention and assessments via tablets in a vaccine clinic. Mean knowledge scores increased significantly from pre- to post-intervention. After the intervention, 95% (n = 40) of parents intended to get their children vaccinated; 50% (n = 21) of them consented to vaccination immediately, resulting in 24 adolescents being vaccinated at that time. All parents reported …


Mhealth Games As Rewards: Incentive Or Distraction?, Kevin Gary, Ryan Stoll, Pooja Rallabhandi, Mandar Patwardhan, Derek Hamel, Ashish Amresh, Armando Pina, Kevin Cleary, Zenaide Quezado Jun 2017

Mhealth Games As Rewards: Incentive Or Distraction?, Kevin Gary, Ryan Stoll, Pooja Rallabhandi, Mandar Patwardhan, Derek Hamel, Ashish Amresh, Armando Pina, Kevin Cleary, Zenaide Quezado

Ashish Amresh

Games may be employed for delivery of a clinical protocol, or as an incentive for protocol tasks. We focus on serious games in mHealth apps for pediatric patients with a chronic disease as an incentive for behavior modification. A patient is rewarded with enhanced gameplay in proportion to her/his compliance with a clinical protocol. The game-as-reward prevents fatigue and sustains patient engagement as the mHealth apps are used on a frequent basis when the affliction is a chronic disease. However, our experience shows a fine line between games that encourage engagement and ones that distract patients from protocol tasks.


Aspira: Employing A Serious Game In An Mhealth App To Improve Asthma Outcomes, Jamie Thomson, Chris Hass, Ivor Horn, Elizabeth Kleine, Stephanie Mitchell, Kevin Gary, Ishrat Ahmed, Derek Hamel, Ashish Amresh Mar 2017

Aspira: Employing A Serious Game In An Mhealth App To Improve Asthma Outcomes, Jamie Thomson, Chris Hass, Ivor Horn, Elizabeth Kleine, Stephanie Mitchell, Kevin Gary, Ishrat Ahmed, Derek Hamel, Ashish Amresh

Ashish Amresh

This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a home based intervention targeting economically disadvantaged children to improve asthma clinical outcomes. The monitoring and intervention activities were delivered within an embedded astronaut-themed game to promote user acceptance and compliance to the clinical protocol. An iterative, user-centered design process was used to prototype the asthma home monitoring system (ASPIRA) involving a tablet application, digital spirometer and a particulate monitor linked to a data management server. Children of low socio-economic demographic populations were the main target group for this study as they have significantly high asthma rates and lack of condition …


Development Of A Mobile, Avatar-Based Application To Monitor Teens' Personal Body Shape Goals, Annmarie Lyles, Ashish Amresh, Michael Todd, Rebecca E. Lee Mar 2017

Development Of A Mobile, Avatar-Based Application To Monitor Teens' Personal Body Shape Goals, Annmarie Lyles, Ashish Amresh, Michael Todd, Rebecca E. Lee

Ashish Amresh

During adolescence, participation in physical activity decreases while concern about weight increases as teens get older. Using Internet-based healthy strategies with teens who need or want to make changes to their bodies may be a practical method to help them participate in physical activity to attain and maintain healthy bodies.

The purpose of this pilot test was to develop and assess acceptability and feasibility of an avatar-based, theoretically derived, mobile application entitled, Having a Positive Perception of You Application (HAPPY App).


A Mobile, Avatar-Based App For Improving Body Perceptions Among Adolescents: A Pilot Test, Annmarie Lyles, Ashish Amresh, Jennifer Huberty, Michael Todd, Rebecca E. Lee Dec 2016

A Mobile, Avatar-Based App For Improving Body Perceptions Among Adolescents: A Pilot Test, Annmarie Lyles, Ashish Amresh, Jennifer Huberty, Michael Todd, Rebecca E. Lee

Ashish Amresh

BACKGROUND:
One barrier to effectively treating weight issues among adolescents is that they tend to use social comparison instead of objective measures to evaluate their own health status. When adolescents correctly perceive themselves as overweight, they are more likely to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors.

OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this pilot test was to develop and assess acceptability and usability of an avatar-based, theoretically derived mobile app entitled Monitor Your Avatar (MYA).

METHODS:
The MYA app was engineered for high school adolescents to identify, using avatars, what they thought they looked like, what they wanted to look like, and what they …


The Use Of A Kiosk-Model Bilingual Self-Triage System In The Pediatric Emergency Department, Madhumita Sinha, Kai-Ning Khor, Ashish Amresh, David Drachman, Alan Frechette Dec 2013

The Use Of A Kiosk-Model Bilingual Self-Triage System In The Pediatric Emergency Department, Madhumita Sinha, Kai-Ning Khor, Ashish Amresh, David Drachman, Alan Frechette

Ashish Amresh

Streamlining the triage process is the key to improving emergency department (ED) workflow. Our objective was to determine if parents of pediatric ED patients in, low-literacy, inner-city hospital, who used the audio-assisted bilingual (English/Spanish) self-triage kiosk, were able to enter their child's medical history using a touch screen panel with greater speed and accuracy than routine nurse-initiated triage.