Department of Social Work & Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Department of Social Work & Social Administration, Sau Po Center on Ageing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Transl Behav Med. 2019 Jul 16;9(4):711-719. doi: 10.1093/tbm/iby096.
Although ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has been used in youth and adult populations, very few of the studies provided evidence of the feasibility and utility of smartphone-based EMA protocols to collect biopsychosocial data from aging populations. This study aimed to describe the design and implementation of a smartphone-based EMA protocol, and to evaluate the feasibility and utility of this EMA protocol among community-dwelling late-middle-aged and older Chinese. A sample of 78 community-dwelling Chinese aged between 50 and 70 years was trained to participate in a 1-week EMA data collection, during which each participant carried an Android smartphone loaded with a researcher-developed EMA application and a smartphone-based electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor to provide psychosocial (e.g., daily activities, social interaction, affect) data and ECG recordings six times daily. Adherence was demonstrated with a total response rate of 91.5% of all scheduled assessments (n = 3,822) and a moderately high level of perceived feasibility. Female participants reported higher compliance to the study and rated the overall experience as more pleasant and interesting than male participants. Our study provided the first evidence of the feasibility and utility of smartphone-based EMA protocols among late-middle-aged and older Chinese. Key areas for improvement in future design and implementation of mobile-based EMA include the incorporation of usable technology, adequate and training, and timely assistance.
尽管生态瞬时评估 (EMA) 已在青年和成年人群中得到应用，但很少有研究证明基于智能手机的 EMA 协议从老龄化人群中收集生物心理社会数据的可行性和实用性。本研究旨在描述基于智能手机的 EMA 协议的设计和实施，并评估该 EMA 协议在社区居住的中老年中国人群中的可行性和实用性。一项针对 78 名社区居住的年龄在 50 至 70 岁之间的中国参与者的样本进行了培训，以参与为期 1 周的 EMA 数据收集，在此期间，每位参与者携带一部装有研究人员开发的 EMA 应用程序和基于智能手机的心电图 (ECG) 监测器的 Android 智能手机，以提供社会心理（例如，日常活动、社交互动、情绪）数据和每日六次的 ECG 记录。通过所有预定评估的总响应率为 91.5%（n=3822），表现出较高的依从性，并且参与者认为该研究具有较高的可行性。女性参与者比男性参与者更遵守研究规定，并认为整体体验更愉快、更有趣。我们的研究为基于智能手机的 EMA 协议在中老年中国人群中的可行性和实用性提供了首个证据。未来移动 EMA 的设计和实施需要改进的关键领域包括使用可用技术、充分和培训以及及时的帮助。
