Maeda Atsuhiko
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2020 Jul;2020:5722-5728. doi: 10.1109/EMBC44109.2020.9176589.
More than 200 virus strains have been implicated in common colds, thereby thwarting vaccination efforts. However, the most common causes of colds are human rhinoviruses, which infect the epithelial cells of the nasopharynx. Moreover, after decades of research, the best documented method of preventing infection remains to be handwashing. However, stopping people from inadvertently touching or rubbing one's nose and eyes is difficult, and the effectiveness of preventing such habits has not been validated. Here, we reported the results of a randomized controlled trial (n = 120) performed over 50 days. We examined the effectiveness of using smartwatches equipped with a sensor and a vibration alert, as well as the self-checking of behavior, in preventing subjects from touching their nose or eyes. Participants were randomly assigned to either the smartwatch group or the handwashing group (control). Subjects in the handwashing group were requested to wash their hands after going out, whereas subjects in the smartwatch group were requested to wash their hands and in addition wear a smartwatch that vibrates to remind them not to excessively touch their nose or eyes. The daily frequency of nose and eye touching was also recorded by the smartwatches. The first incidence of an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was the primary endpoint. In the smartwatch group, compared with the control group, the incidence of URTIs was significantly lower by 53% (p < 0.05) and was associated with a decrease in the mean frequency of nose or eye touching (p < 0.05).
超过200种病毒株与普通感冒有关，这使得疫苗接种工作受挫。然而，感冒最常见的病因是人类鼻病毒，它会感染鼻咽部的上皮细胞。此外，经过数十年的研究，预防感染的最有充分证据的方法仍然是洗手。然而，阻止人们不经意地触摸或揉搓自己的鼻子和眼睛很困难，而且预防此类习惯的有效性尚未得到验证。在此，我们报告了一项在50天内进行的随机对照试验（n = 120）的结果。我们研究了使用配备传感器和振动警报的智能手表以及自我检查行为在防止受试者触摸鼻子或眼睛方面的有效性。参与者被随机分配到智能手表组或洗手组（对照组）。洗手组的受试者被要求外出后洗手，而智能手表组的受试者被要求洗手并佩戴一块振动的智能手表，以提醒他们不要过度触摸鼻子或眼睛。智能手表还记录了每天触摸鼻子和眼睛的频率。上呼吸道感染（URTI）的首次发病是主要终点。在智能手表组中，与对照组相比，URTI的发病率显著降低了53%（p < 0.05），并且与鼻子或眼睛触摸的平均频率降低有关（p < 0.05）。
