Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study
BackgroundWearable devices may generate valuable data for global health research for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, wearable studies in LMICs are scarce. This study aims to investigate the use of consumer-grade wearables to generate individual-level data in vulnerable populations...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.972177/full |
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| author | Sophie Huhn Ina Matzke Mara Koch Hanns-Christian Gunga Martina Anna Maggioni Martina Anna Maggioni Ali Sié Valentin Boudo Windpanga Aristide Ouedraogo Guillaume Compaoré Aditi Bunker Rainer Sauerborn Till Bärnighausen Till Bärnighausen Till Bärnighausen Sandra Barteit |
| author_facet | Sophie Huhn Ina Matzke Mara Koch Hanns-Christian Gunga Martina Anna Maggioni Martina Anna Maggioni Ali Sié Valentin Boudo Windpanga Aristide Ouedraogo Guillaume Compaoré Aditi Bunker Rainer Sauerborn Till Bärnighausen Till Bärnighausen Till Bärnighausen Sandra Barteit |
| author_sort | Sophie Huhn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundWearable devices may generate valuable data for global health research for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, wearable studies in LMICs are scarce. This study aims to investigate the use of consumer-grade wearables to generate individual-level data in vulnerable populations in LMICs, focusing on the acceptability (quality of the devices being accepted or even liked) and feasibility (the state of being workable, realizable, and practical, including aspects of data completeness and plausibility).MethodsWe utilized a mixed-methods approach within the health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) to conduct a case study in Nouna, Burkina Faso (BF). All HDSS residents older than 6 years were eligible. N = 150 participants were randomly selected from the HDSS database to wear a wristband tracker (Withings Pulse HR) and n = 69 also a thermometer patch (Tucky thermometer) for 3 weeks. Every 4 days, a trained field worker conducted an acceptability questionnaire with participants, which included questions for the field workers as well. Descriptive and qualitative thematic analyses were used to analyze the responses of study participants and field workers.ResultsIn total, n = 148 participants were included (and n = 9 field workers). Participant's acceptability ranged from 94 to 100% throughout the questionnaire. In 95% of the cases (n = 140), participants reported no challenges with the wearable. Most participants were not affected by the wearable in their daily activities (n = 122, 83%) and even enjoyed wearing them (n = 30, 20%). Some were concerned about damage to the wearables (n = 7, 5%). Total data coverage (i.e., the proportion of the whole 3-week study duration covered by data) was 43% for accelerometer (activity), 3% for heart rate, and 4% for body shell temperature. Field workers reported technical issues like faulty synchronization (n = 6, 1%). On average, participants slept 7 h (SD 3.2 h) and walked 8,000 steps per day (SD 5573.6 steps). Acceptability and data completeness were comparable across sex, age, and study arms.ConclusionWearable devices were well-accepted and were able to produce continuous measurements, highlighting the potential for wearables to generate large datasets in LMICs. Challenges constituted data missingness mainly of technical nature. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use consumer-focused wearables to generate objective datasets in rural BF. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T16:57:31Z |
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| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T16:57:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
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| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-5841f0d5c15b43d981b75ba2a5b5d3212022-12-22T03:24:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-09-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.972177972177Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case studySophie Huhn0Ina Matzke1Mara Koch2Hanns-Christian Gunga3Martina Anna Maggioni4Martina Anna Maggioni5Ali Sié6Valentin Boudo7Windpanga Aristide Ouedraogo8Guillaume Compaoré9Aditi Bunker10Rainer Sauerborn11Till Bärnighausen12Till Bärnighausen13Till Bärnighausen14Sandra Barteit15Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Physiology, Center for Space Medicine and Extreme Environments Berlin, Berlin, GermanyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Physiology, Center for Space Medicine and Extreme Environments Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, ItalyCentre de Recherche en Santé, Nouna, Burkina FasoCentre de Recherche en Santé, Nouna, Burkina FasoCentre de Recherche en Santé, Nouna, Burkina FasoCentre de Recherche en Santé, Nouna, Burkina FasoFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United StatesAfrica Health Research Institute (AHRI), KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyBackgroundWearable devices may generate valuable data for global health research for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, wearable studies in LMICs are scarce. This study aims to investigate the use of consumer-grade wearables to generate individual-level data in vulnerable populations in LMICs, focusing on the acceptability (quality of the devices being accepted or even liked) and feasibility (the state of being workable, realizable, and practical, including aspects of data completeness and plausibility).MethodsWe utilized a mixed-methods approach within the health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) to conduct a case study in Nouna, Burkina Faso (BF). All HDSS residents older than 6 years were eligible. N = 150 participants were randomly selected from the HDSS database to wear a wristband tracker (Withings Pulse HR) and n = 69 also a thermometer patch (Tucky thermometer) for 3 weeks. Every 4 days, a trained field worker conducted an acceptability questionnaire with participants, which included questions for the field workers as well. Descriptive and qualitative thematic analyses were used to analyze the responses of study participants and field workers.ResultsIn total, n = 148 participants were included (and n = 9 field workers). Participant's acceptability ranged from 94 to 100% throughout the questionnaire. In 95% of the cases (n = 140), participants reported no challenges with the wearable. Most participants were not affected by the wearable in their daily activities (n = 122, 83%) and even enjoyed wearing them (n = 30, 20%). Some were concerned about damage to the wearables (n = 7, 5%). Total data coverage (i.e., the proportion of the whole 3-week study duration covered by data) was 43% for accelerometer (activity), 3% for heart rate, and 4% for body shell temperature. Field workers reported technical issues like faulty synchronization (n = 6, 1%). On average, participants slept 7 h (SD 3.2 h) and walked 8,000 steps per day (SD 5573.6 steps). Acceptability and data completeness were comparable across sex, age, and study arms.ConclusionWearable devices were well-accepted and were able to produce continuous measurements, highlighting the potential for wearables to generate large datasets in LMICs. Challenges constituted data missingness mainly of technical nature. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use consumer-focused wearables to generate objective datasets in rural BF.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.972177/fullwearablesconsumer-based wearablesdigital technologieshealth researchreal world dataSSA |
| spellingShingle | Sophie Huhn Ina Matzke Mara Koch Hanns-Christian Gunga Martina Anna Maggioni Martina Anna Maggioni Ali Sié Valentin Boudo Windpanga Aristide Ouedraogo Guillaume Compaoré Aditi Bunker Rainer Sauerborn Till Bärnighausen Till Bärnighausen Till Bärnighausen Sandra Barteit Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study Frontiers in Public Health wearables consumer-based wearables digital technologies health research real world data SSA |
| title | Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study |
| title_full | Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study |
| title_fullStr | Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study |
| title_short | Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study |
| title_sort | using wearable devices to generate real world individual level data in rural low resource contexts in burkina faso africa a case study |
| topic | wearables consumer-based wearables digital technologies health research real world data SSA |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.972177/full |
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