Nielsen Karen, Mobley Kate, Culbreth Rachel, Palmier Jane, Nabulya Anna, Swahn Monica H
School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
School of Data Science and Analytics, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA.
Digit Health. 2024 Oct 18;10:20552076241288754. doi: 10.1177/20552076241288754. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
Individuals in Uganda's urban slums have unmet mental health needs due to limited healthcare infrastructure, poor environmental conditions, and extreme poverty. Researchers often use wearable devices to measure factors associated with mental health including sleep, physical activity, and exposure to environmental stressors. However, the use of wearables for research purposes in low-resource settings is limited. This pilot study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of wearables and accompanying daily diaries to assess sleep and other health indicators in young women living in Kampala's slums.
Women (= 60 total, two groups) aged 18-24 living in three urban slums participated in 5-day pilot protocols comprised of wearing Garmin vívoactive 3 smartwatches and completing daily diaries concerning sleep and physical activities. Participants completed surveys about their experiences. We based analyses on survey findings and data completeness.
All participants responded to daily diaries. All but one reported wearing the device nonstop and 51 had recoverable heart rate data with median data coverage of 93.2%. Most devices (87.5%) recorded data for 5 days without running out of battery. Some participants (8.5%) found the wearable uncomfortable during the day, and 25% found it uncomfortable at night. Few participants (6.7%) reported feeling unsafe with the wearable, with most reports occurring prior to the availability of bracelet-like wearable covers.
Study protocols implementing wearables and complimentary daily diaries are feasible in this urban population. However, important contextual factors including participant and researcher training and safety concerns warrant additional considerations for acceptable utilization of wearable devices for research in other low-resource settings.
由于医疗基础设施有限、环境条件恶劣和极端贫困，乌干达城市贫民窟的居民存在未得到满足的心理健康需求。研究人员经常使用可穿戴设备来测量与心理健康相关的因素，包括睡眠、身体活动以及接触环境压力源的情况。然而，在资源匮乏地区将可穿戴设备用于研究目的的情况有限。这项试点研究调查了可穿戴设备及配套的日常日记在评估坎帕拉贫民窟年轻女性睡眠和其他健康指标方面的可行性和可接受性。
居住在三个城市贫民窟的18 - 24岁女性（共60人，分为两组）参与了为期5天的试点方案，包括佩戴佳明vívoactive 3智能手表并完成有关睡眠和身体活动的日常日记。参与者完成了关于她们体验的调查。我们基于调查结果和数据完整性进行分析。
所有参与者都对日常日记做出了回应。除一人外，所有人都报告持续佩戴了该设备，51人有可恢复的心率数据，数据覆盖中位数为93.2%。大多数设备（87.5%）记录了5天的数据且未耗尽电量。一些参与者（8.5%）觉得白天佩戴该可穿戴设备不舒服，25%的人觉得晚上不舒服。很少有参与者（6.7%）报告佩戴该可穿戴设备时有不安全的感觉，大多数报告发生在类似手镯的可穿戴设备保护套出现之前。
在这个城市人群中，实施可穿戴设备及配套日常日记的研究方案是可行的。然而，包括参与者和研究人员培训以及安全问题在内的重要背景因素，对于在其他资源匮乏地区将可穿戴设备用于研究的可接受性利用而言，仍需进一步考虑。
