Use of Health Diaries and Journals in Integrative Studies for Minority Populations

Background: Diaries/journals have been successfully used to gather data about daily activities in research studies. However, there can be limitations with self-reported data collection methods such as participant motivation, literacy, missing data, and non-adherence. Examining quantitative and qualitative approaches for obtaining self-reported information in integrative studies can provide guidelines for monitoring treatment fidelity in future self-care studies.

Objectives: This presentation will discuss the use of diaries/journals to collect outcome measures in pilot studies of hypnosis and yoga as self-care modalities.

Methods: Structured paper diaries were used to document the frequency of home practice (dosage) of behavioral self-hypnosis in a randomized controlled, study of sickle cell disease patients. These diaries also captured daily painful crises, hospital utilization, and sleep patterns for 12-24 weeks. A second study uses open-ended journals to document home practice and personal experiences in an 8-week yoga study of arthritis patients in a previously reported low literacy, bilingual population.

Results: The hypnosis study collected data (n=31) from a predominantly African American, highly educated (32.3% graduate or post-grad) population. Only 52% of those who completed the study completed all of the diaries requested. Experience with the hypnosis study facilitated using a more conservative journal design for the yoga study, focused on collecting only dosage and at-home experience.

Implications: Appropriate ways to measure and document the dosage of self-reported integrative modalities, without adding unnecessary burden, needs further evaluation. Future directions may include adjusting the length of the data collection period, using computerized data capture methods, and obtaining participant input during the development stage.