Wearable technology and daily diaries for studying mental health: lessons learned from pilot studies in Kampala, Uganda.

Journal: Global mental health (Cambridge, England)

Volume: 12

Issue: 

Year of Publication: 

Affiliated Institutions:  School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. School of Data Science and Analytics, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Toxicology Investigators Consortium, American College of Medical Toxicology, Phoenix, AZ, USA. Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Uganda Youth Development Link, Kampala, Uganda.

Abstract summary 

Wearable technology and daily diaries offer insights into everyday behaviors that can further health research and treatment globally. However, the use of these methodologies outside of high-income settings has been limited. We conducted two pilot studies that enrolled 60 young women in the urban slums of Kampala, Uganda to understand design considerations associated with using wearable technology and daily diaries in this context. Each participant in the pilot studies was asked to wear a wearable activity tracker and complete daily diary questionnaires for 5 days. Based on our experiences, we identified several lessons that may be beneficial to others interested in implementing wearable technology and daily self-reports in their research and interventions, particularly when working in low-resource contexts. We discuss the importance of designing solutions tailored to the available resources, building validation for the most critical measures, investing in data management efforts and providing transparent and culturally accessible information to participants. Examples from our study are provided. These lessons may reduce the barriers and improve data quality for future researchers and practitioners interested in using these data collection methods globally.

Authors & Co-authors:  Nielsen Karen E KE Mobley Kate K Culbreth Rachel R Palmier Jane B JB Matovu Gideon G Nabulya Anna A Swahn Monica H MH

Study Outcome 

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Statistics
Citations :  Alinia P, Sah RK, McDonell M, Pendry P, Parent S, Ghasemzadeh H and Cleveland MJ (2021) Associations between physiological signals captured using wearable sensors and Self-reported outcomes among adults in alcohol use disorder recovery: Development and usability study. JMIR Formative Research 5(7), e27891. 10.2196/27891.
Authors :  7
Identifiers
Doi : e17
SSN : 2054-4251
Study Population
Women
Mesh Terms
Other Terms
Mobile health;actigraphy;cultural sensitivity;developing countries;global mental health
Study Design
Study Approach
Country of Study
Uganda
Publication Country
England