Ecological momentary assessments integrating real-time exposure measurements & health assessment using a smartphone application

Abstract

Overview

Modern sensor technology has facilitated the collection of large volumes of environmental, behavioral, and health data. However, combining these data streams with contextual exposure information remains a challenge due to the usual delays in data collection, which complicates the assessment of transient and spatially variable environmental exposures.

Methods

• Participants installed a custom smartphone application and wore an RF-EMF exposimeter for 48 hours.
• The application triggered questionnaires based on data from the exposimeter, categorized by exposure levels, phone usage, and control conditions.
• After two days, participants completed an evaluation questionnaire.

Findings

A completion rate of 74% for ecological momentary assessments was achieved, with an average response time of 31 seconds per opened questionnaire. The use of the system had minimal impact on daily activities, indicating user-friendliness and minimal behavioral disruption.

No significant differences were noted in well-being related to different types of RF-EMF exposures during the study, highlighting the need for more extensive research into potential health effects.

Conclusion

The research demonstrates that Context-Sensitive Ecological Momentary Assessments (CS-EMAs) leveraging real-time data can substantially enhance environmental health research. The implications for studying direct and real-time health impacts of environmental exposures are profound, particularly for future studies examining a range of environmental stressors.