Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa

• Verfasst von: Huhn, Sophie [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Matzke, Ina [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Koch, Mara [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Gunga, Hanns-Christian [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Maggioni, Martina Anna [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Sié, Ali [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Boudo, Valentin [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Ouedraogo, Windpanga Aristide [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Compaoré, Guillaume [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Bunker, Aditi [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Sauerborn, Rainer [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Bärnighausen, Till [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Barteit, Sandra [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa
• Titelzusatz: A case study
• Verf.angabe: Sophie Huhn, Ina Matzke, Mara Koch, Hanns-Christian Gunga, Martina Anna Maggioni, Ali Sié, Valentin Boudo, Windpanga Aristide Ouedraogo, Guillaume Compaoré, Aditi Bunker, Rainer Sauerborn, Till Bärnighausen and Sandra Barteit
• E-Jahr: 2022
• Jahr: 30 September 2022
• Umfang: 20 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 12.12.2022
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Frontiers in Public Health
• Ort Quelle: Lausanne : Frontiers Media, 2013
• Jahr Quelle: 2022
• Band/Heft Quelle: 10(2022), Artikel-ID 972177, Seite 1-20
• ISSN Quelle: 2296-2565
• DOI: doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.972177
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• K10plus-PPN: 1826814000
• K10plus-PPN:
  Universitätsbibliothek
• Lokale URL UB: Zum Volltext

Abstract

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.