Developing a smartphone 'app' for public health research: the example of measuring observed smoking in vehicles.
Background We have developed manual methods to gather data on the point prevalence of observed smoking in road vehicles. To enable the widespreadinternational collection of such data, we aimed to develop a smartphone application (app) for this work.Methods We developed specifications for an app that...
| Publicado en: | Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health Vol. 67; no. 5; pp. 446 - 453 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , |
| Formato: | pictorial research website Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
BMJ Publishing Group
May2013
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=104258729&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 104258729 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 0143005X C0H jtl: Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health issn: 0143005X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: May2013 vid: 67 iid: 5 pid: 8280 pub: BMJ Publishing Group artinfo: ui: 104258729 86406135 10.1136/jech-2012-201774 NLM23443959 104258729 ppf: 446 ppct: 7 formats: tig: atl: Developing a smartphone 'app' for public health research: the example of measuring observed smoking in vehicles. aug: au: Patel, Vimal Nowostawski, Mariusz Thomson, George Wilson, Nick Medlin, Hamish affil: Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand sug: subj: Health Policy Studies Methods Public Health Methods Smoking Epidemiology Automobiles Wireless Communications Utilization Software Design Methods World Wide Web Observational Methods Funding Source Human Confidence Intervals ab: Background We have developed manual methods to gather data on the point prevalence of observed smoking in road vehicles. To enable the widespreadinternational collection of such data, we aimed to develop a smartphone application (app) for this work.Methods We developed specifications for an app that described the: (1) variables that could be collected;(2) transfer of data to an online repository; (3) user interface (including visual schematics) and (4) processes to ensure the data authenticity from distant observers.The app functionality was trial led in roadside situations and the app was made publicly available.Results The smartphone app and its accompanying website were developed, tested and released over a period of 6 months. Users (n=18) who have registered themselves (and who met authentication criteria), have reported no significant problems with this application to date (observing 20 535 vehicles as of 5 July 2012). The framework, methodology and source code for this project are now freely available online and can be easily adapted for other research purposes. The prevalence of smoking in vehicles was observed in: Poland 2.7%(95% CI 2.3% to 3.1%); Australia 1.0% (95% CI0.7% to 1.3%); New Zealand 2.9% (95% CI 2.6% to3.2%)—similar to results using pre app methods in 2011(3.2%, 95% CI 3.1% to 3.3%).Conclusions This project indicates that it can be practical and feasible for health researchers to work together with information science researchers and software developers to create smartphone apps for field research in public health. Such apps may be used to collect observational data more widely, effectively and easily than through traditional (non-electronic) methods. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: pictorial research website Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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