An Investigation of the Feasibility of Smartphone App-Based Non-Contact Ecological Momentary Assessment with Experienced and Naïve Older Participants

Burke, Louise; Naylor, Graham

Abstract

Background:
Smartphone app-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) without face-to-face contact between researcher and participant (‘non-contact EMA’) has enjoyed increasing application in recent years, and provides a valuable data collection tool when geographical, time, and situational factors (eg, the COVID-19 pandemic) place constraints on in-person research. Nevertheless, little is known about the feasibility of non-contact EMA, especially with older participants, and the effect of prior EMA experience on the feasibility of this method.

Objective:
To assess the feasibility of non-contact EMA, with a sample of mostly older EMA participants, as a function of (a) prior EMA experience, and (b) age.

Methods:
151 potential participants were invited via email. Seventy enrolled in the study by completing the baseline questionnaire set. Of those, 47 downloaded an EMA app and ran the survey sequence (six smartphone surveys per day for one week). Five daytime surveys and one evening survey each day assessed participants’ listening environment, social activity, and conversational engagement. A semi-structured ‘exit’ telephone interview probed acceptability of the method. As markers of feasibility, we assessed enrolment rate, study completion rate, reason for non-completion, EMA survey response rate, likelihood of reporting an issue with survey alerts, and requesting assistance from either the researcher or family/friends.

Results:
Enrolment rates among invitees (63.3% vs 38.2%; P = .004) and completion rates among enrolees (83.9% vs 53.8%; P = < .001) were higher in the experienced, versus the naïve, EMA group. Reasons for non-completion included technical difficulties (n = 4) and personal reasons (n = 7). On average, experienced EMA participants responded to 64.1% (SD = 30.2%) of daytime EMA surveys and naïve participants responded to 54.3% (SD = 29.5%), P = .27. Although 14 participants retrospectively reported issues with survey alerts, only three requested researcher assistance for this issue during data collection. Older participants were more likely to report not being alerted to EMA surveys (P = .008), but age was unrelated to all other markers of feasibility. Post-hoc analyses of the effect of phone operating system on markers of feasibility revealed that response rate was higher among iOS (74.8% [SD = 20.25%]), versus Android (48.5% [SD = 31.35%]), users, P = .002.

Conclusions:
Smartphone app-based non-contact EMA appears to be feasible, although participants with prior experience of in-person EMA, younger participants, and iOS users performed better on certain markers of feasibility. Measures to increase feasibility may include extensive testing of the app with different smartphone operating systems, recruiting participants who have some prior EMA experience, and encouraging participants to seek timely assistance for any issued experienced. Limitations of this study include a small sample size, participants’ varying levels of existing relationship with the researcher, and the implications of collecting data during COVID-19 social restrictions.

Citation

Burke, L., & Naylor, G. (in press). An Investigation of the Feasibility of Smartphone App-Based Non-Contact Ecological Momentary Assessment with Experienced and Naïve Older Participants

• Working Paper Type: Preprint
• Acceptance Date: Dec 20, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Feb 2, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 12, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 24, 2025
• Keywords: Computer Science Applications; Health Informatics; Medicine (miscellaneous)
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7351771
• Publisher URL: https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/27677/submitted
• Additional Information: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.