Mobile Behavioral Ecological Momentary Assessment and Intervention in Rakai, Uganda

Johns Hopkins University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Ecological Momentary Assessment and Intervention

Treatments: Behavioral: Ecological momentary assessment and intervention: Behaviorally-dependent messaging; Behavioral: Ecological momentary assessment only

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04375423

IRB00065934

Details and patient eligibility

About

Ecological Momentary Assessment and Intervention (EMAI) is an emerging technique for gathering richer and more relevant data through repeated, longitudinal sampling of participants in their natural setting in order to deliver real-time interventions. The main study objective is to conduct a pilot EMAI study in Rakai, Uganda. Secondary objectives are to assess processes, facilitators, and barriers to EMAI. The study will compare behaviors between participants randomized to receive intervention messages and those not receiving messages. To assess EMAI validity and relevance, EMAI-collected behavioral data will be compared with traditional questionnaire-collected data.

After recruitment, participants will be given a smartphone with an application that will collect geospatial coordinates and ask behavioral assessment questions on topics including diet/alcohol, smoking, and sexual behaviors. Participants will have training on the phone and application, demonstrating proficiency with the EMAI interface prior to study start.

Days 1-30, Baseline Behaviors: Participants will complete assessment questions to establish baseline behaviors. This will include twice-daily and weekly behavioral report prompts and participant-initiated event-contingent behavioral reports. After the initial 30 day period, participants will return to the study office to complete a short questionnaire and to be randomized to the second phase of follow-up.

Days 31-90, Randomized Evaluation: Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either continue assessment questions only (control arm) or to also begin receiving intervention messages (intervention arm) in response to reported behaviors. Messages will encourage positive behaviors and suggest alternatives to negative behaviors (e.g. "Eating a mixed diet (meats and vegetables) is a healthy way to go."). At 90 days of follow-up, participants will return to the study office to complete a brief questionnaire on behaviors and smartphone experiences.

Study hypotheses are as follows: EMAI can be successfully implemented in Uganda, and participants receiving intervention messaging will have improved self-reported health behaviors compared to controls; EMAI will be feasible and acceptable by this population; and, EMAI-collected data will correlate with traditional questionnaire-collected data.

Outcomes will be assessed using descriptive statistics, multivariate regression and analysis of themes in patient EMAI experience and acceptability.

Enrollment: 58 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years or older
• literate
• current Rakai Community Cohort Study participant

We will purposely recruit a sample that has a broad range of participant characteristics in our study to optimize diversity of responses and increase study generalizability. Specific variables for which we will target sampling include: gender (~50% female), age (at least 20% among age groups 18-25, 26-35, >50), and occupation (at least 20% traders and farmers).

Exclusion criteria

• Participants without a listed phone number in the Rakai Community Cohort Study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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58 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

On smartphones, participants in this arm will receive twice daily and weekly prompts to report on behaviors under study and be able to send self-initiated event-contingent reports on behaviors under study. In response to the behaviors they report, they receive messages on their smartphones supporting ongoing healthy behaviors or suggesting alternative behaviors to limit risks. They will complete in-person assessments at enrollment, 30-days and study exit at 90-days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Ecological momentary assessment only

Behavioral: Ecological momentary assessment and intervention: Behaviorally-dependent messaging

Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

On smartphones, participants in this arm will receive twice daily and weekly prompts to report on behaviors under study and be able to send self-initiated event-contingent reports on behaviors under study. They will complete in-person assessments at enrollment, 30-days and study exit at 90-days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Ecological momentary assessment only