218850 Investigating Children's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Using Ecological Momentary Assessment with Mobile Phones

Monday, November 8, 2010

Genevieve Fridlund Dunton, PhD, MPH , Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
Yue Liao, MPH , Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Stephen S. Intille, PhD , Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Donna Spruijt-Metz , Institute For Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
Jennifer Wolch, PhD , Department of Geography, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Mary Ann Pentz, PhD , Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
  
Background: Advances in mobile phone technologies have created extraordinary opportunities for physical activity assessment and intervention. This study tested the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) protocol to assess children's active and sedentary behaviors in naturalistic settings. Methodology: The study sample consisted of N = 121 children (ages 9-14, 52% male, 38% overweight/at risk for overweight). Electronic surveys were collected with a mobile phone (HTC Shadow, T-Mobile USA, Inc.). Monitoring occurred from Fri. afternoon to Mon. evening during children's discretionary non-school time, with 3-7 surveys/day (20 total). Items assessed current activity (e.g., Watching TV/Movies, Playing video games, Active Play/Sports/Exercising, Eating/Drinking). Children simultaneously wore an Actigraph GT1M accelerometer. Survey responses were time-matched to total activity counts, steps, and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (≥ 1,910 counts/min.) in the ± 30/± 60 min. surrounding each EMA prompt. Results: Equipment loss and breakage were minimal: one memory card was lost and one display screen was cracked. Children responded to ~74% of the prompted surveys. No differences between missing and not missing EMA surveys were found for matched total activity counts, steps, and MVPA. Physical activity (Active Play/Sports/Exercising) and sedentary behaviors (Reading/Computer/ Homework, Watching TV/Movies, Playing video games) were reported in 17% and 39% of surveys, respectively. Activity counts, steps, and MVPA were significantly higher during EMA-reported physical activity versus sedentary behaviors (p's <.001). Discussion: Findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of a 4-day EMA protocol using mobile phones to measure physical activity and sedentary behavior in children.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe how mobile phone technologies can be used to assess children’s active and sedentary behaviors in naturalistic settings. Discuss strategies for overcoming challenges to using mobile technologies in research and practice.

Keywords: Technology, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I have over 10 years of experience conducting research in physical activity assessment and promotion. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Research in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California. I earned a doctorate in Health Psychology from the University of California, Irvine and a Master of Public Health from the University of Southern California. I received post-doctoral training in physical activity, nutrition, and cancer prevention from the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program at the National Cancer Institute, where I worked in the Health Promotion Research Branch. The objectives of my research are to understand the etiology of health behaviors related to cancer risk in children and adults, with particular focus on physical activity and nutrition. This work is guided by a social-ecological perspective of behavior change, which takes into account the interplay between environmental, social, and individual variables. My research considers how policy, community, neighborhood, and school contexts can influence physical activity and diet either independently or through their impact on more proximal social and psychological factors. I use real-time data capture strategies such as Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) and Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) to investigate and influence activity and healthy eating. Mobile phones or PDA devices provide feedback or elicit responses through electronic texts accompanied by auditory signals that are programmed to occur at predetermined intervals throughout the day. I am currently the Principal Investigator on a 5-year study funded by the American Cancer Society to investigate real-time decision-making processes pertaining to physical activity using EMA. I am also the Principal Investigator on a project funded by the Active Living Research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine the effects of the built environment on children’s physical activity contexts.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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