Digital BiB
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility of using personal digital devices to collect interactive research data with the Born in Bradford cohort: A mixed methods study
IRAS ID
226506
Contact name
R McEachan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
We live in an increasingly digital world in which we learn, work, socialise, travel and shop using digital platforms that connect individuals and groups directly. By contrast, our systems of health and social research remain rooted in data collection systems that rely on labour intensive, face to face data collection methods. These methods are limited by capacity of the research team to recruit and follow up participants. Data collection tends to be episodic, capturing single reports of what are often complex constructs of health and well-being. For example single mental health questionnaires will fail to capture the dynamic changes of mood and mental health. Employing researchers to collect the data is also expensive and potentially inefficient when much of the information sought can be better recorded by participants or clinicians.
Digital platforms by contrast offer novel approaches for improving the efficiency of implementing research projects and capturing more accurate and timely participant reports. Around 70% of the UK population now has access to a smartphone (Deloitte, 2015) which opens up research studies to large and varied populations that can provide reports of health and wellbeing more regularly and at their own convenience. The technology embedded in smart phones such as GPS and accelerometry also provides remote monitoring of objective movement and activity which can make an important contribution to cohort analyses aimed at improving understanding of how we can stay healthy.
The proposed study will use a range of primary and secondary research methods to explore the feasibility, uptake and sustainability of app technology for research study consent, data collection and engagement. A prototype app commissioned by Born in Bradford is currently under development to provide proof of concept of the feasibility of collecting a range of research data, including informed consent, daily mood and activity tracking, and sporadic surveys. There will also be the potential for linking participants with their routine electronic health records and previously collected data from the BiB/BiBBS research studies. The prototype app will also explore the feasibility of providing personalised feedback and the uptake and response to public health prompts delivered via the app. Ethical approval is required for the following primary research:
i. An assessment of the uptake and use of an app to collect data for research using quantitative methods (Uptake and use).
ii. An exploration of public engagement and ongoing co-design of the app using qualitative interview methods (Public consultation).These two methods will be undertaken simultaneously and will each contribute to the evaluation and ongoing development of the prototype app.
For the uptake and use of the app, we will invite parents participating in our Born in Bradford (BiB) and Born in Bradford’s Better Start (BiBBS) cohort studies (combined population of 15,000 parents). For these participants (for whom we have existing consent for routine data linkage), we will link data collected via the app to the individuals’ data held in the BiB database and to their routine health data (through linkage to primary and secondary care datasets). Linking participants to their routine health data will allow us to explore the feasibility of providing personalised public health prompts, and examine the feasibility of measuring the effect of these prompts on health outcomes (for example BMI, smoking or alcohol behaviours). The app will be available free via the Apple and android app stores and links will be made available on BIHR and BiB/BiBBS websites.
For the public consultation, we will utilise study populations from existing research groups within the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR): parents (recruited from the BiB and BiBBS studies), community dwelling older people (recruited from the CARE cohort study, Academic Unit of Elderly Care), patients (recruited from Yorkshire Quality and Safety Group patient panels), and NHS staff (recruited from Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (BTHFT)).
This research will contribute to the evidence base and development of recommendations for the optimal design and functionality of apps for use in health research that includes ethnically, socially and economically diverse population groups. Outputs will include guidance on effective methods of obtaining informed consent, information on the feasibility, acceptability and sustainability of this approach to collecting research data, and how such data can be used to improve population health via personalised public health prompts.
References
Deloitte (2015) Connected health: How digital technology is transforming health and social care. Available from: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/life-sciences-health-care/deloitte-uk-connected-health.pdf.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/YH/0201
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion