Prompt-level predictors of compliance in an ecological momentary assessment study of young adults' mental health

BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has become a popular method of gathering information about participants as they go about their daily lives. However, participant non-compliance, especially non-random compliance, in EMA is a concern. Better knowledge of the moment-to-moment factors that predict prompt non-response can inform the design of strategies to mitigate it. METHOD: We used data from a general population young adult (n = 260) EMA study, 'decades-to-minutes' (D2M) and fitted dynamic structural equation models (DSEMs) to explore a range of candidate momentary predictors of missing the next prompt. RESULTS: We found that higher levels of stress, overall negative affect, and the specific negative affective state of 'upset' at a given prompt predicted a greater likelihood of missing the next prompt. However, no other specific affective states, alcohol use, experiencing social provocations nor aggressive behaviour predicted missing the next prompt. LIMITATIONS: The primary limitation of the present study was a lack of information on predictors concurrent with missed prompts. CONCLUSIONS: Findings point to the potential value of gathering information on momentary negative affect (especially feeling upset) and stress to help inform strategies that intervene to prevent application disengagement at optimal moments and to feed into strategies to mitigate bias due to non-random non-response in EMA studies

A Recursive Definition of Goodness of Space for Bridging the Concepts of Space and Place for Sustainability

Conceived and developed by Christopher Alexander through his life's work: The Nature of Order, wholeness is defined as a mathematical structure of physical space in our surroundings. Yet, there was no mathematics, as Alexander admitted then, that was powerful enough to capture his notion of wholeness. Recently, a mathematical model of wholeness, together with its topological representation, has been developed that is capable of addressing not only why a space is good, but also how much goodness the space has. This paper develops a structural perspective on goodness of space - both large- and small-scale - in order to bridge two basic concepts of space and place through the very concept of wholeness. The wholeness provides a de facto recursive definition of goodness of space from a holistic and organic point of view. A space is good, genuinely and objectively, if its adjacent spaces are good, the larger space to which it belongs is good, and what is contained in the space is also good. Eventually, goodness of space - sustainability of space - is considered a matter of fact rather than of opinion under the new view of space: space is neither lifeless nor neutral, but a living structure capable of being more living or less living, or more sustainable or less sustainable. Under the new view of space, geography or architecture will become part of complexity science, not only for understanding complexity, but also for making and remaking complex or living structures. Keywords: Scaling law, head/tail breaks, living structure, beauty, streets, citiesComment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Prompt-level predictors of compliance in an ecological momentary assessment study of young adults' mental health

Background: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has become a popular method of gathering information about participants as they go about their daily lives. However, participant non-compliance, especially non-random compliance, in EMA is a concern. Better knowledge of the moment-to-moment factors that predict prompt non-response can inform the design of strategies to mitigate it. Method: We used data from a general population young adult (n = 260) EMA study, 'decades-to-minutes' (D2M) and fitted dynamic structural equation models (DSEMs) to explore a range of candidate momentary predictors of missing the next prompt. Results: We found that higher levels of stress, overall negative affect, and the specific negative affective state of 'upset' at a given prompt predicted a greater likelihood of missing the next prompt. However, no other specific affective states, alcohol use, experiencing social provocations nor aggressive behaviour predicted missing the next prompt. Limitations: The primary limitation of the present study was a lack of information on predictors concurrent with missed prompts. Conclusions: Findings point to the potential value of gathering information on momentary negative affect (especially feeling upset) and stress to help inform strategies that intervene to prevent application disengagement at optimal moments and to feed into strategies to mitigate bias due to non-random non-response in EMA studies

Analysis of Mobility Patterns to Oklahoma Food Banks During the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic

We investigate changes in travel to food banks during the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2. The pandemic created challenges that impacted the availability of food and the ability of individuals to access food -- increasing demand on food banks. In a context where face-to-face interactions were not possible, we use cell phone mobility data to evaluate changes in food bank utilization during this period of increased demand for services. From 2017 to 2019 there were an increasing number of trips to food banks from a closer set of census block groups. In 2020 overall trips decreased but travel distances to food banks increased

Environmental exposure during travel : A research review and suggestions forward

Daily travel through the urban fabric exposes urban dwellers to a range of environmental conditions that may have an impact on their health and wellbeing. Knowledge about exposures during travel, their associations with travel behavior, and their social and health outcomes are still limited. In our review, we aim to explain how the current environmental exposure research addresses the interactions between human and environmental systems during travel through their spatial, temporal and contextual dimensions. Based on the 104 selected studies, we identify significant recent advances in addressing the spatiotemporal dynamics of exposure during travel. However, the conceptual and methodological framework for understanding the role of multiple environmental exposures in travel environments is still in an early phase, and the health and wellbeing impacts at individual or population level are not well known. Further research with greater geographical balance is needed to fill the gaps in the empirical evidence, and linking environmental exposures during travel with the causal health and wellbeing outcomes. These advancements can enable evidence-based urban and transport planning to take the next step in advancing urban livability.Peer reviewe

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in Sewer Network in Reno-Sparks Metropolitan Area

COVID-19 disease, caused by SARS-COV-2 virus, strained public health entities and communities, which faced unprecedented challenges in implementing clinical testing to monitor and inform public on the spread of the disease. In the early stages of the pandemic, researchers indicted that the virus is present in wastewater and infected individuals shed the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 virus in their feces. Researchers all around the world implemented wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a tool to monitor wastewater, which provides an efficient pooled community sample and may predict COVID-19 occurrence. Even though wastewater surveillance has been in practice for decades, the novel area of WBE research for COVID-19 is based on the exploration of the potential to provide an integrated, community-level indication of the presence of COVID-19. In this study, we implemented WBE with geospatial analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS). The study also identified statistically significant spatial patterns of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater through spatial sampling strategy across neighborhood-scale sewershed catchments in the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility service area. Using GIS technology of local spatial autocorrelation and directional distribution methods, wastewater surveillance at a more granular level provided greater sensitivity for detecting clusters, outlier, hot spots, and cold spots through the sampling campaign of sewer network

Mapping urban greenspace use from mobile phone GPS data

Urban greenspace is a valuable component of the urban form that has the potential to improve the health and well-being of residents. Most quantitative studies of relationships between health and greenspace to date have investigated associations only with what greenspace exists in the local environment (i.e. provision of greenspace), rather than to what extent it is used. This is due to the difficulty of obtaining usage data in large amounts. In recent years, GPS functionality integrated into mobile phones has provided a potential solution to this problem by making it possible to track which parts of the environment people experience in their day-to-day lives. In this paper, we demonstrate a method to derive cleaned, trip-level information from raw GPS data collected by a mobile phone app, then use this data to investigate the characteristics of trips to urban greenspace by residents of the city of Sheffield, UK. We find that local users of the app spend an average of an hour per week visiting greenspaces, including around seven trips per week and covering a total distance of just over 2.5 km. This may be enough to provide health benefits, but is insufficient to provide maximal benefits. Trip characteristics vary with user demographics: ethnic minority users and users from more socioeconomically deprived areas tend to make shorter trips than White users and those from less deprived areas, while users aged 34 years and over make longer trips than younger users. Women, on average, make more frequent trips than men, as do those who spent more time outside as a child. Our results suggest that most day-to-day greenspace visits are incidental, i.e. travelling through rather than to greenspace, and highlight the importance of including social and cultural factors when investigating who uses and who benefits from urban greenspace.Natural Environment Research Counci

Geospatial perspectives on the intersection of chronic disease and COVID-19

This collection of articles in Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) brings together scientists and practitioners from the breadth of public health and the social sciences to demonstrate how geospatial perspectives can contribute to understanding and addressing the intersection of chronic disease and COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected chronic disease in many complex ways. Early in the pandemic, it became clear that people with chronic conditions and those in older age groups were at the highest risk for COVID-19 hospitalization and death (1\u20133). Racial and ethnic minority populations experienced disproportionately worse health outcomes (4). Pandemic-related disruptions to the health care system and individuals\u2019 concerns about health care\u2013related exposures affected chronic disease management: in-person visits for people with chronic conditions declined, supply chain disruptions led to shortages of medications, and the number of cancer screenings, treatments, and surgeries declined in the United States (5\u20137). More recent evidence suggests that COVID-19 may exacerbate existing chronic diseases and increase the risk of developing new chronic conditions, such as diabetes in adults (8,9), type 1 diabetes in children (10), neurological disorders (11), dementia (12), mental illness (13), and cardiovascular disease (14). In addition, an estimated one-half of COVID-19 survivors worldwide continue to have COVID-related health problems 6 months or more after recovery from the acute infection, making \u201clong COVID\u201d our newest and still largely unresearched chronic disease (15). Finally, social and economic inequities underlie disparities in incidence of both chronic diseases and COVID-19, an intersection that has been labeled a syndemic, defined as the \u201cpresence of 2 or more disease states that adversely interact with each other, negatively affecting the mutual course of each disease trajectory, enhancing vulnerability, and which are made more deleterious by experienced inequities\u201d (16).Space and place are key elements of individual and population health \u2014 social and environmental determinants of health are embedded within place, and health outcomes and inequities typically exhibit strong geographic variation (17,18). Thus, geospatial perspectives, which address aspects of space and place, play a key role in the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its intersection with chronic disease (19,20). Here, we consider geospatial perspectives to include the broad swath of geospatial data, analytical techniques, and technologies encompassed in the field of geographic information science and technology (GIS&T) (21). Geospatial data on disease incidence and mortality, available at the individual address level or aggregated to small areas, allow us to understand the geographic distribution of COVID-19 and the chronic disease burden and their spatial coincidence with other measures. Geospatial data can also capture community-level socioeconomic characteristics, such as indicators of race, ethnicity, and class, which serve to illuminate interrelated disparities in the incidence of COVID-19 and chronic disease.Publication date from document properties.Geospatial-Perspective_508.pdfGeospatial Perspectives on the Intersection of Chronic Disease and COVID-19 / Mennis J, Matthews KA, Huston SL. Geospatial Perspectives on the Intersection of Chronic Disease and COVID-19. Prev Chronic Dis 2022;19:220145. -- Incorporating Geographic Information Science and Technology in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic / Smith CD, Mennis J. Incorporating Geographic Information Science and Technology in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prev Chronic Dis 2020;17:200246. -- Enabling Hotspot Detection and Public Health Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic / Foraker R, Landman J, Lackey I, Haslam MD, Antes AL, Goldfarb D. Enabling Hotspot Detection and Public Health Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prev Chronic Dis 2022;19:210425. -- Variation in Risk of COVID-19 Infection and Predictors of Social Determinants of Health in Miami\u2013Dade County, Florida / Moise IK. Variation in Risk of COVID-19 Infection and Predictors of Social Determinants of Health in Miami\u2013Dade County, Florida. Prev Chronic Dis 2020;17:200358. -- Mapping Chronic Disease Risk Factors With ArcGIS Online in Support of COVID-19 Response in Florida/DuClos C, Folsom J, Joiner J, Jordan M, Reid K, Bailey M, et al. Mapping Chronic Disease Risk Factors With ArcGIS Online in Support of COVID-19 Response in Florida. Prev Chronic Dis 2021;18:200647. -- A Spatio-Demographic Perspective on the Role of Social Determinants of Health and Chronic Disease in Determining a Population\u2019s Vulnerability to COVID-19 / Embury J, Tsou MH, Nara A, Oren E. A Spatio-Demographic Perspective on the Role of Social Determinants of Health and Chronic Disease in Determining a Population\u2019s Vulnerability to COVID-19. Prev Chronic Dis 2022;19:210414. -- The Town-Level Prevalence of Chronic Lung Conditions and Death From COVID-19 Among Older Adults in Connecticut and Rhode Island / Jansen T, Man Lee C, Xu S, Silverstein NM, Dugan E. The Town-Level Prevalence of Chronic Lung Conditions and Death From COVID-19 Among Older Adults in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Prev Chronic Dis 2022;19:210421. -- Mapping EBT Store Closures During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Low-Income, Food-Insecure Community in San Diego / Lowery BC, Swayne MR, Castro I, Embury J. Mapping EBT Store Closures During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Low-Income, Food-Insecure Community in San Diego. Prev Chronic Dis 2022;19:210410. -- Expansion of Grocery Delivery and Access for Washington SNAP Participants During the COVID-19 Pandemic /Beese S, Amram O, Corylus A, Graves JM, Postma J, Monsivais P. Expansion of Grocery Delivery and Access for Washington SNAP Participants During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prev Chronic Dis 2022;19:210412. -- Disparities in Internet Access and COVID-19 Vaccination in New York City / Michaels IH, Pirani SJ, Carrascal A. Disparities in Internet Access and COVID-19 Vaccination in New York City. Prev Chronic Dis 2021;18:210143. -- Association Between Population Mobility Reductions and New COVID-19 Diagnoses in the United States Along the Urban\u2013Rural Gradient, February\u2013April, 2020 / Li X, Rudolph AE, Mennis J. Association Between Population Mobility Reductions and New COVID-19 Diagnoses in the United States Along the Urban\u2013Rural Gradient, February\u2013April, 2020. Prev Chronic Dis 2020;17:200241.20221162

Relations entre environnementaux bâtis, contexte social et bien-être : une étude par évaluation écologique momentané à Montréal

Cette thèse vise à expliquer les fluctuations du bien-être momentané tout au long de la journée et de la semaine, en tenant compte de l'influence de l'environnement construit et social sur ces variations. Cette étude a évalué l'impact du moment de la journée, des interactions sociales, de la météo et des environnements bâtis et sociaux, sur le bien-être momentané à l’aide d’un devis longitudinal par évaluation écologique momentanée géographique (GEMA). Un total de 899 participants résident dans le Grand Montréal, âgés de 18 à 80 ans (Âge : M = 41,71, md = 39 ; femmes = 55,7%) ont rempli une échelle brève de l'humeur trois fois par jour pendant sept jours consécutifs sur leurs téléphones intelligents (application EthicaData). Lors des réponses, la coordonnée GPS de leur localisation a également été captée, et a servi à mesurer diverses expositions environnementales dans un système d’information géographique. Un modèle à effets mixtes à trois niveaux avec des effets aléatoires a montré une corrélation positive entre le bien-être et l'âge, les après-midis, les week-ends et les interactions sociales impliquant la famille et les amis. En revanche, le bien-être était négativement associé aux soirées. Quelques variables de l’environnement bâti et social étaient significativement associées au bien-être. Ces liens ont persisté après contrôle des facteurs de confusion potentiels. De plus, un effet d'interaction a révélé que l'influence des interactions sociales momentanées différait entre les hommes et les femmes. Cette étude met en lumière le rôle des facteurs environnementaux et sociaux dans la compréhension du bien-être momentané. L'intégration de la technologie géospatiale et des évaluations écologiques momentanées offre des perspectives précieuses pour l'urbanisme et la santé publique dans l’exploration des liens entre contexte et santé.This thesis aims to explain the fluctuations of momentary well-being throughout the day and week, taking into consideration how the built and social environment affects these variations. In this seven-day longitudinal study using GPS-enabled smartphones and EthicaData software with a geographic ecological momentary assessment (GEMA) approach, the real-time impact of built and social environments on self-reported momentary well-being of residents of Greater Montreal between 2018 and 2021 was investigated. A total of 889 participants aged 18–80 years (Age: M=41.71, md=39; females = 55.7%) completed the Short Mood Scale three times daily for seven consecutive days. A three-level mixed-effects model with random effects showed a positive correlation between well-being and age, afternoons, weekends, and social interactions involving family and friends. On the other hand, well-being was negatively associated with evenings. Only a few built and social environmental variables were found to be significantly associated with well-being. These links remained after controlling for potential confounding factors. Moreover, an interaction effect revealed that the influence of momentary social interactions differed for men and women. This study highlights the significance of environmental and social factors in comprehending momentary well-being, which has important implications for urban planning and public health initiatives. Integrating geospatial technology and EMA provides valuable insights into this intricate relationship