scholarly journals Low-Income, Older African Americans’ Engagement in and Perceptions of a Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Study of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Kennedy-Malone ◽  
Derek J Hevel ◽  
Kourtney B Sappenfield ◽  
Heidi Scheer ◽  
Christine Zecca ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Objectives Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods can provide novel insights into modeling and predicting activity-related behaviors, yet many racial and ethnic minority groups report barriers to participating in mobile health research. We aim to (1) report on strategies used to successfully recruit and retain minority older adults in a smartphone-based physical activity and sedentary behavior EMA study and (2) report on participants’ perceptions of study acceptability. Research Design and Methods Researchers partnered with trusted individuals and community organizations serving older adults to facilitate recruitment for an 8-day EMA study of minority older adults’ physical activity and sedentary behavior. Additional strategies such as having experienced, culturally competent team members and available technical support were employed to further recruitment and retention efforts. A post study questionnaire assessed participants’ perceptions of study acceptability. Results In total, 123 minority older adults were recruited; 102 met inclusion criteria, 91 completed the study, and 89 completed the post-study questionnaire. The sample consisted of predominantly low-income African American women with an average age of 70 years. Responses to open-ended questions revealed the most enjoyable aspects of study participation were the ability to learn more about themselves, contribute to science and/or their community, engage in a new activity, and receive financial compensation. Participants reported the least enjoyable aspects of the study included the frequency of EMA questionnaires, apprehension of missing EMA questionnaires, carrying the smartphone, and difficulty wearing the accelerometer. Most participants (97%) expressed interest in being contacted for future studies. Discussion and Implications Low-income, older African Americans reported positive perceptions of a smartphone-based EMA study of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Findings suggest that applying demonstrated strategies to engage this population in technology-based health research can enhance recruitment and retention efforts; however, it is unclear which strategies are most effective in reducing participation barriers.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine L. Campbell ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Ann Pulling Kuhn ◽  
Maureen M. Black ◽  
Erin R. Hager

Abstract Background Mothers of young children from low-income communities may be vulnerable to barriers associated with low physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between home environment factors and maternal physical activity among mothers of toddlers. Methods Mothers of toddlers (n = 200) recruited from low-income communities simultaneously wore an ankle-placed accelerometer and were given a personal digital assistant for ecological momentary assessment. Mothers received randomly prompted questions about their current environment, activity, and social setting several times a day over eight consecutive days. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects regression models with random intercepts; within-group and between-group relations between physical activity and environment factors were disaggregated. Results Within-group relations included higher physical activity counts for specific mothers with television off versus on (95% CI = 130.45, 199.17), children absent versus present (95% CI = 82.00, 3.43), engaging with a child versus not (95% CI = 52.66, 127.63), and outside versus inside location (95% CI = 277.74, 392.67). Between-group relations included higher physical activity on average when other adults were absent versus present (95% CI = − 282.63, − 46.95). Recruitment site (urban vs. semi-urban) significantly moderated the within-group relation between being outside versus inside and activity count (β = − 243.12, 95% CI = − 358.74, − 127.47), and showed stronger relations among urban mothers (β = 440.33, 95% CI = 358.41, 522.25), than semi-urban (β = 190.37, 95% CI = 109.64, 271.11). Maternal body weight significantly moderated the within-group relation between being located outside versus inside the home and activity count (β for interaction = − 188.67, 95% CI = − 308.95, − 68.39), with a stronger relation among mothers with normal weight (β = 451.62, 95% CI = 345.51, 557.73), than mothers with overweight/obesity (β = 271.95, 95% CI = 204.26, 339.64). Conclusions This study highlights home environmental factors, including screen time, the presence of others (adults and children), and location (i.e., outside versus inside) that may relate to maternal physical activity behaviors. Understanding factors associated with physical activity could reduce physical activity disparities. Trial registry ClinicalTrials. NCT02615158, April 2006


Obesity ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1205-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve F. Dunton ◽  
Yue Liao ◽  
Stephen S. Intille ◽  
Donna Spruijt-Metz ◽  
Maryann Pentz

Author(s):  
Derek J Hevel ◽  
Eric S Drollette ◽  
Genevieve F Dunton ◽  
Jaclyn P Maher

Abstract Objectives Older adults engage in excessive sedentary behaviors which hold significant health implications. Examining affect responses during sedentary behavior is not well understood despite the wealth of evidence linking affect and motivation. Contextual influences (i.e., social and physical) likely influence affective responses during sedentary behavior and therefore warrant further investigation. Method Older adults (n = 103, Mage = 72, range: 60–98) participated in a 10-day study where they received 6 randomly timed, smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) prompts/day. Participants reported their affect, current behavior, and context at each EMA prompt. Participants also wore an activPAL accelerometer to measure their sedentary behavior duration. Separate multilevel models examined the extent to which the context influences affective responses during self-report sedentary (vs nonsedentary) behaviors. Results The social context moderated the association between sedentary behavior and negative affect. The physical context moderated the association between sedentary behavior and positive affect. Discussion Interventions should consider the context of behaviors when designing interventions to reduce sedentary behavior as some contextual factors may attenuate, while other contexts may exacerbate, associations between activity-related behaviors and indicators of well-being.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 886-886
Author(s):  
Amanda Trofholz ◽  
Jerica !Berge

Abstract Objectives Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is an innovative tool being used in the obesity field to capture real-time information about people's health. A recent systematic review regarding the use of EMA to assess dietary intake and physical activity in youth found the need for standardized reporting of EMA measures and methods. This presentation will discuss EMA methods used in the NIH-funded Family Matters study, including survey design, registration/technology, EMA protocols, implementation, and lessons learned for future EMA studies. Methods Family Matters is an incremental, two-phased (Phase I = 150 participants; Phase II = 627 participants), mixed-methods study conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse and immigrant/refugee sample from largely low-income households. Across two phases, the Family Matters research team designed and administered EMA surveys to parents of 5–9 year olds to measure momentary factors of importance to child weight and weight-related behaviors including parent feeding practices, child eating behaviors, meal preparation, and foods served at family meals. Results EMA data allowed for many cutting-edge research questions to be addressed, innovative analyses to be run, and methodological approaches to be advanced. Many diet-related topics were investigated, including 1) the investigation of both within-and across-day relationships between transient and chronic stress and parent feeding practices; 2) parental stress and mood earlier in the day and its association with parent feeding practices later in the day; and 3) family meal characteristics by meal type and day of the week. Additionally, concordance between diet-related EMA measures and objectively collected 24-hour dietary recalls was examined. Family Matters EMA diet-related measures will be presented and related results discussed. Conclusions This presentation will be valuable for researchers interested in using EMA for collecting obesity-related measures, such as dietary intake, physical activity, parent feeding practices, and stress/mood. Funding Sources Research is supported by grant number R01HL126171 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (PI: Berge).


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