Using wearable devices and mobile surveys for child and youth development in Malawi: An implementation study of high-frequency data collection based in multi-modal approach. (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Multi-modal approaches have been shown to be a promising way to collect data on child development at high frequency, combining different data inputs – from phone surveys to signals from non-invasive bio-markers – to understand children’s health and development outcomes more integrally, from multiple perspectives. OBJECTIVE The objective of this work is to describe an implementation study using a multi-modal approach combining non-invasive biomarkers, social contact patterns, mobile surveying and face-to-face interviews in order to validate technologies that help us better understand child development in poor countries at high frequency. METHODS We carried out a mixed study based on a transversal descriptive analysis and a longitudinal prospective analysis in Malawi. In each village, children were sampled to participate in weekly sessions in which data signals were collecting through wearable devices (ECG hand pads and EEG headbands). Additionally, wearable proximity sensors to elicit the social network were deployed in children and their caregivers. Mobile surveys using Interactive Voice Response calls were also used as an additional layer of data collection. An end line face-to-face survey was conducted at the end of the study. RESULTS During the implementation, 82 EEG/ECG data entry points were collected across the four villages. The sampled children for EEG/ECG were 0-5 years old. EEG/ECG data were collected one a week. In every session, children worn the EEG headband for 5 minutes, and the ECG hand pad for 3 minutes. In total, 3,531 calls were sent over 5 weeks. 2,291 participants picked up the calls, and 984 of those answered the consent question. In total, 585 people completed the surveys over the course of the 5 weeks. CONCLUSIONS The present study achieved its objectives in demonstrating the feasibility of generating data through an unprecedented use of a multi-modal approach for tracking child development in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Above and beyond its multiple dimensions, the dynamics of child development are complex: not only it is the case that no data stream in isolation can accurately characterize it, but also that, even if combined, infrequent data might miss critical inflection points and interactions between different conditions and behaviors. In turn, combining different modes, and at sufficiently high frequency, allows researchers to make progress by considering contact patterns, reported symptoms and behaviors and critical biomarkers all at once. This application showcases that even in developed countries facing multiple constraints, complementary technologies can leverage and accelerate the digitalization of health, bringing benefits to populations that lack new tools to understanding, mainly, of child well-being and development. CLINICALTRIAL

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Combining Wearable Devices and Mobile Surveys to Study Child and Youth Development in Malawi: Implementation Study of a Multimodal Approach

JMIR Public Health and Surveillance ◽

10.2196/23154 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. e23154

Author(s):

Onicio Leal Neto ◽

Simon Haenni ◽

John Phuka ◽

Laura Ozella ◽

Daniela Paolotti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Child Development ◽

High Frequency ◽

Wearable Devices ◽

Implementation Study ◽

Multimodal Approach ◽

Face To Face ◽

Contact Patterns ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Noninvasive Biomarkers ◽

Ecg Data

Background Multimodal approaches have been shown to be a promising way to collect data on child development at high frequency, combining different data inputs (from phone surveys to signals from noninvasive biomarkers) to understand children’s health and development outcomes more integrally from multiple perspectives. Objective The aim of this work was to describe an implementation study using a multimodal approach combining noninvasive biomarkers, social contact patterns, mobile surveying, and face-to-face interviews in order to validate technologies that help us better understand child development in poor countries at a high frequency. Methods We carried out a mixed study based on a transversal descriptive analysis and a longitudinal prospective analysis in Malawi. In each village, children were sampled to participate in weekly sessions in which data signals were collected through wearable devices (electrocardiography [ECG] hand pads and electroencephalography [EEG] headbands). Additionally, wearable proximity sensors to elicit the social network were deployed among children and their caregivers. Mobile surveys using interactive voice response calls were also used as an additional layer of data collection. An end-line face-to-face survey was conducted at the end of the study. Results During the implementation, 82 EEG/ECG data entry points were collected across four villages. The sampled children for EEG/ECG were 0 to 5 years old. EEG/ECG data were collected once a week. In every session, children wore the EEG headband for 5 minutes and the ECG hand pad for 3 minutes. In total, 3531 calls were sent over 5 weeks, with 2291 participants picking up the calls and 984 of those answering the consent question. In total, 585 people completed the surveys over the course of 5 weeks. Conclusions This study achieved its objective of demonstrating the feasibility of generating data through the unprecedented use of a multimodal approach for tracking child development in Malawi, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. Above and beyond its multiple dimensions, the dynamics of child development are complex. It is the case not only that no data stream in isolation can accurately characterize it, but also that even if combined, infrequent data might miss critical inflection points and interactions between different conditions and behaviors. In turn, combining different modes at a sufficiently high frequency allows researchers to make progress by considering contact patterns, reported symptoms and behaviors, and critical biomarkers all at once. This application showcases that even in developing countries facing multiple constraints, complementary technologies can leverage and accelerate the digitalization of health, bringing benefits to populations that lack new tools for understanding child well-being and development.

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Using Wearable Devices for Non-invasive, Inexpensive Physiological Data Collection

Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (2017) ◽

10.24251/hicss.2017.072 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

James Gaskin ◽

Jeffrey Jenkins ◽

Thomas Meservy ◽

Jacob Steffen ◽

Katherine Payne

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Wearable Devices ◽

Physiological Data ◽

Non Invasive

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The Louisville Twin Study: Past, Present and Future

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1017/thg.2019.37 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 735-740 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Deborah W. Davis ◽

Eric Turkheimer ◽

Deborah Finkel ◽

Christopher Beam ◽

Lesa Ryan

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Child Development ◽

Data Collection ◽

Twin Study ◽

Multiple Birth ◽

Face To Face ◽

Data Collection Methods ◽

Data Preservation ◽

Louisville Twin Study ◽

Collection Methods

AbstractThe Louisville Twin Study (LTS) is nationally recognized as one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of child development related to multiple birth status. The LTS is unique because of the extensive longitudinal face-to-face assessments, the frequency of data collection, the inclusion of data on additional family members (i.e., parents, siblings, grandparents; and later, twins’ own spouses and children), and the variety of data collection methods used. Data preservation efforts began in 2008 and are largely complete, although efforts are ongoing to obtain funding to convert the electronic data to a newer format. A pilot study was completed in the summer of 2018 to bring the twins, who are now middle-aged, back for testing. A grant is currently under review to extend the pilot study to include all former participants who are now ≥40 years of age. Opportunities for collaboration are welcome.

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Online, Asynchronous Data Collection in Qualitative Research

The Oxford Handbook of Methods for Public Scholarship ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190274481.013.28 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 442-467

Author(s):

Tracy Spencer ◽

Linnea Rademaker ◽

Peter Williams ◽

Cynthia Loubier

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Data Collection ◽

Face To Face ◽

Research Outcomes ◽

Data Collection Strategy ◽

Time Distance ◽

Privacy Issues

The authors discuss the use of online, asynchronous data collection in qualitative research. Online interviews can be a valuable way to increase access to marginalized participants, including those with time, distance, or privacy issues that prevent them from participating in face-to-face interviews. The resulting greater participant pool can increase the rigor and validity of research outcomes. The authors also address issues with conducting in-depth asynchronous interviews such as are needed in phenomenology. Advice from the field is provided for rigorous implementation of this data collection strategy. The authors include extensive excerpts from two studies using online, asynchronous data collection.

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Improvement in Total and Face-to-Face Provider Time in a Multidisciplinary Craniofacial Team Clinic: An Interventional Study

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal ◽

10.1177/10556656211021705 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105566562110217

Author(s):

Alexis C. Wood ◽

C. Alejandra Garcia de Mitchell ◽

Ruchi Kaushik

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Cleft Palate ◽

Outcome Measures ◽

Clinic Visit ◽

Visit Time ◽

Time Data ◽

Interventional Study ◽

Face To Face ◽

Before And After ◽

Total Visit

Objective: Identify factors contributing to time a family spends in a Multidisciplinary Craniofacial Team Clinic (MDCT) and implement an intervention to reduce this time. Design: Interventional: a restructuring of clinics to serve those patients requiring fewer provider encounters separately. Setting: An American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association-accredited MDCT in an academic children’s hospital. Patients/Participants: One hundred sixty-seven patients with craniofacial diagnoses. Interventions: Time data were tabulated over ∼2 years. Following 9 months of data collection, patients requiring fewer provider encounters were scheduled to a separate clinic serving children with craniosynostosis, and data were collected in the same fashion for another 14 months. Main Outcome Measures: Principal outcome measures included total visit time and proportion of the visit spent without a provider in the room before and after clinic restructuring. Results: The average time spent by family in a clinic session was 161.53 minutes, of which 64.3% was spent without a provider in the room. Prior to clinic restructuring, a greater number of provider encounters was inversely associated with percentage of time spent without a provider ( P < .001). Upon identifying this predictor, scheduling patients who needed fewer provider encounters to a Craniosynostosis Clinic session resulted in reduction in absolute and percentage of time spent without a provider ( P < .001). Conclusions: The number of provider encounters is a significant predictor of the proportion of a clinic visit spent without a provider. Clinic restructuring to remove patient visits that comprise fewer provider encounters resulted in a greater percentage of time spent with a provider in an MDCT.

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Non-invasive high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in preterm infants after extubation: a randomized, controlled trial

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/0300060520984915 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 030006052098491

Author(s):

Yan Li ◽

Qiufen Wei ◽

Dan Zhao ◽

Yan Mo ◽

Liping Yao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

High Frequency ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation ◽

Positive Pressure ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Oscillatory Ventilation ◽

High Frequency Oscillatory

Objective To investigate the effectiveness and safety of non-invasive high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (NHFOV) in post-extubation preterm infants. Methods This was a randomized, controlled trial. A total of 149 preterm infants aged between 25 to 34 weeks’ gestational age with a birth weight of <1500 g who required invasive mechanical ventilation on admission were included. After extubation, they were randomized to the NHFOV group (n = 47), nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) group (n = 51), or nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) group (n = 51). We compared the effectiveness and safety among these three groups. Results A total of 139 preterm infants finally completed the study. The reintubation rate was significantly lower in the NHFOV group than in the other groups. The duration of non-invasive ventilation and the length of hospital stay in the NHFOV and NIPPV groups were significantly shorter than those in the NCPAP group. The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the NHFOV and NIPPV groups was significantly lower than that in the NCPAP group. The NHFOV group had significantly less nasal injury than the NCPAP group. Conclusion As post-extubation respiratory support in preterm infants, NHFOV has a lower reintubation rate compared with NCPAP and NIPPV, without increasing the rate of complications.

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Utilizing asynchronous email interviews for health research: overview of benefits and drawbacks

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-021-05547-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Michelle Amri ◽

Christina Angelakis ◽

Dilani Logan

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Data Collection ◽

Data Quality ◽

Health Research ◽

Geographic Location ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Data Accuracy ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Face To Face

Abstract Objective Through collating observations from various studies and complementing these findings with one author’s study, a detailed overview of the benefits and drawbacks of asynchronous email interviewing is provided. Through this overview, it is evident there is great potential for asynchronous email interviews in the broad field of health, particularly for studies drawing on expertise from participants in academia or professional settings, those across varied geographical settings (i.e. potential for global public health research), and/or in circumstances when face-to-face interactions are not possible (e.g. COVID-19). Results Benefits of asynchronous email interviewing and additional considerations for researchers are discussed around: (i) access transcending geographic location and during restricted face-to-face communications; (ii) feasibility and cost; (iii) sampling and inclusion of diverse participants; (iv) facilitating snowball sampling and increased transparency; (v) data collection with working professionals; (vi) anonymity; (vii) verification of participants; (viii) data quality and enhanced data accuracy; and (ix) overcoming language barriers. Similarly, potential drawbacks of asynchronous email interviews are also discussed with suggested remedies, which centre around: (i) time; (ii) participant verification and confidentiality; (iii) technology and sampling concerns; (iv) data quality and availability; and (v) need for enhanced clarity and precision.

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Conducting Population Health Research during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impacts and Recommendations

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13063320 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 3320

Author(s):

Amy R. Villarosa ◽

Lucie M. Ramjan ◽

Della Maneze ◽

Ajesh George

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Health Services ◽

Data Quality ◽

Population Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Recruitment Methods ◽

Face To Face ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many changes, including restrictions on indoor gatherings and visitation to residential aged care facilities, hospitals and certain communities. Coupled with potential restrictions imposed by health services and academic institutions, these changes may significantly impact the conduct of population health research. However, the continuance of population health research is beneficial for the provision of health services and sometimes imperative. This paper discusses the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the conduct of population health research. This discussion unveils important ethical considerations, as well as potential impacts on recruitment methods, face-to-face data collection, data quality and validity. In addition, this paper explores potential recruitment and data collection methods that could replace face-to-face methods. The discussion is accompanied by reflections on the challenges experienced by the authors in their own research at an oral health service during the COVID-19 pandemic and alternative methods that were utilised in place of face-to-face methods. This paper concludes that, although COVID-19 presents challenges to the conduct of population health research, there is a range of alternative methods to face-to-face recruitment and data collection. These alternative methods should be considered in light of project aims to ensure data quality is not compromised.

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Recent Advances in Wearable Devices for Non-Invasive Sensing

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11031235 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 1235

Author(s):

Su Min Yun ◽

Moohyun Kim ◽

Yong Won Kwon ◽

Hyobeom Kim ◽

Mi Jung Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Monitoring ◽

Data Transmission ◽

Wearable Sensors ◽

Wearable Devices ◽

Wireless Power ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Sensing Systems ◽

Recent Advances ◽

Wearable Systems ◽

Precise Diagnosis

The development of wearable sensors is aimed at enabling continuous real-time health monitoring, which leads to timely and precise diagnosis anytime and anywhere. Unlike conventional wearable sensors that are somewhat bulky, rigid, and planar, research for next-generation wearable sensors has been focused on establishing fully-wearable systems. To attain such excellent wearability while providing accurate and reliable measurements, fabrication strategies should include (1) proper choices of materials and structural designs, (2) constructing efficient wireless power and data transmission systems, and (3) developing highly-integrated sensing systems. Herein, we discuss recent advances in wearable devices for non-invasive sensing, with focuses on materials design, nano/microfabrication, sensors, wireless technologies, and the integration of those.

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