SHARPP Games for the Education Prevention and Reversion of Chronic Diseases

Prevalence of chronic diseases has become a serious problem in our society. These illnesses are commonly caused by dietary and lifestyle risk factors and are hard to cure completely. However, behavioral changes such as adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle are effective in reducing chronic conditions. In this research, we propose to build games that could support the Sustainable transformation of chronic patients in a Holistic and Adaptable manner using Real-time, Precise, and Persuasive (SHARPP) principles, processes, systems, and technologies. This research leverages wearable information technologies and chronic disease studies to design games that interweave virtual worlds with the real world. It not only supports patients to form healthy habits that prevent and revert chronic diseases but also helps individuals to balance various life dimensions

Stance4Health Nutritional APP: A Path to Personalized Smart Nutrition

Funding: This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 816303 and from the Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia of the University of Granada under the program “Intensificación de la Investigación, modalidad B”.Acknowledgments: This work is part of the doctoral thesis of Daniel Hinojosa-Nogueira conducted within the context of the “Program of Nutrition and Food Sciences” at the University of Granada and part of the doctoral thesis of Bartolome Ortiz-Viso conducted within the context of the “Program of Information and Communication technologies” at the University of Granada.Access to good nutritional health is one of the principal objectives of current society. Several e-services offer dietary advice. However, multifactorial and more individualized nutritional recommendations should be developed to recommend healthy menus according to the specific user’s needs. In this article, we present and validate a personalized nutrition system based on an application (APP) for smart devices with the capacity to offer an adaptable menu to the user. The APP was developed following a structured recommendation generation scheme, where the characteristics of the menus of 20 users were evaluated. Specific menus were generated for each user based on their preferences and nutritional requirements. These menus were evaluated by comparing their nutritional content versus the nutrient composition retrieved from dietary records. The generated menus showed great similarity to those obtained from the user dietary records. Furthermore, the generated menus showed less variability in micronutrient amounts and higher concentrations than the menus from the user records. The macronutrient deviations were also corrected in the generated menus, offering a better adaptation to the users. The presented system is a good tool for the generation of menus that are adapted to the user characteristics and a starting point to nutritional interventions.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 816303Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia of the University of Granada under the program “Intensificación de la Investigación, modalidad B

Holistic System Design for Distributed National eHealth Services

publishedVersio

mHealth Applications to Monitor Lifestyle Behaviors and Circadian Rhythm in Clinical Settings: Current Perspective and Future Directions

Metabolic diseases are a global rising health burden, mainly due to the deleterious interaction of current lifestyles with the underlying biology of these diseases. Daily habits and behaviors, such as diet, sleep, and physical exercise impact the whole-body circadian system through the synchronization of the peripheral body clocks that contribute to metabolic homeostasis. The disruption of this system may promote the development of metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes, emphasizing the importance of assessing and monitoring variables that affect circadian rhythms. Advances in technology are generating innovative resources and tools for health care management and patient monitoring, particularly important for chronic conditions. The use of mobile health technologies, known as mHealth, is increasing and these approaches are contributing to aiding both patients and healthcare professionals in disease management and education. The mHealth solutions allow continuous monitoring of patients, sharing relevant information and data with physicians and other healthcare professionals and accessing education resources to support informed decisions. Thus, if properly used, these tools empower patients and help them to adopt healthier lifestyles. This article aims to give an overview of the influence of circadian rhythms disruption and lifestyle habits in the progression of metabolic diseases while also reviewing some of the mobile applications available to monitor lifestyle behaviors and individual chronobiology. Herein is also described the design and development of the NutriClock system, an mHealth solution developed by our team to monitor these variables

A Mobile Health Monitoring Application for Obesity Management and Control Using the Internet-of-Things 1Mohamed

Obesity is one of the most serious and dangerous nutritional diseases around the world. Usually, people develop patterns of unhealthy eating that lead to increased body weight and accumulation of fat in the body. This mass happens due to an imbalance between the energy intake from food and energy consumed in the body. One of the primary treatments for this serious health risk include diets, physical activity, weight-loss training and adoption of health programs that promote healthy eating. As such, reliable mechanism to prevent and control the obesity levels is vital. It led many experts and researchers who are interested in the health sector to explore more solutions that help to combat the obesity phenomenon. This paper presents a mobile health application intended to increase the awareness levels of parents and children about the obesity risks and help them to sustain balanced and healthy eating lifestyle. The proposed mobile application is an educational tool for the evaluation of interventions to prevent obesity risk levels. The application is based on the Internet-of-Things approach, which allows tracking food intake, remote capturing and constant monitoring of children data with interactive feedback displayed on the mobile application

Designing evaluation plans for mHealth interventions : a case study on The Weal Life app

As an applied research project, the purpose of this dissertation is to develop a suitable framework for health-tech companies to evaluate and monitor their mobile-based health technologies’ efficacy and usability, whilst defining features and maximizing performance. Indeed, since no officially recognized standards exist for mobile health (mHealth) apps evaluation, despite the fact they can produce health or behavioral benefits, this crucial assessment is often overlooked by companies and poorly integrated into planning. This research illustrates four mHealth evaluation frameworks and describes the assessment plan that has been developed for The Weal Life app, a socially connected app targeted to caregivers and circle of support. Ultimately, and this is our main finding, we identified two necessary conditions for health-tech companies to maximize their mHealth apps evaluation and performance. The first is to embrace a strategic approach that aligns both the mobile health intervention and app development goals, and the second is to assess the impact of these technologies. Indeed, we show that impact measurement process plays the role of “information systems” allowing companies not only to quantify the impact of their products, but also to monitor and improve their performance constantly. The detail of The Weal Life assessment plan will ensure the findings add to evidence and have broad relevance to healthcare professionals and researchers in general.Enquanto projeto de pesquisa, o objetivo desta dissertação é desenvolver diretrizes adequadas para as empresas de tecnologias da saúde avaliarem e monitorizarem a eficácia e usabilidade das suas tecnologias móveis, paralelamente definindo especificidades e aumentando o desempenho. Com efeito, uma vez que não existem linhas de orientação reconhecidas no que toca à avaliação de aplicações mHealth, apesar das mesmas poderem ser benéficas para a saúde e comportamento, este estudo crucial é amiúde desprezado por empresas e pobremente executado. Esta pesquisa ilustra quatro formas de avaliação mHealth e descreve o plano de teste que foi desenvolvido para a app The Weal Life, uma aplicação social orientada para os cuidadores e círculo de apoio. Em síntese, identificámos duas condições necessárias para que empresas tecnológicas na área de saúde possam maximizar a avaliação e performance das suas aplicações mHealth. A primeira consiste em aplicar uma abordagem estratégica que alinhe ambos os objetivos da intervenção tecnológica e do desenvolvimento da aplicação; a segunda, e mais importante, é avaliar corretamente o impacto destas mesmas tecnologias na população-alvo e sociedade em geral. De facto, concluímos que a avaliação funcionará como um “sistema de informação” atualizado, permitindo às empresas quantificar, monitorizar e melhorar a performance dos seus produtos. O detalhe do plano de avaliação da The Weal Life vai fundamentar os resultados postos em evidência e ser relevante para os profissionais de saúde e investigadores em geral

Mindcraft, a mobile mental health monitoring platform for children and young people: development and acceptability pilot study

BACKGROUND: Children and young people's mental health is a growing public health concern, which is further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile health apps, particularly those using passive smartphone sensor data, present an opportunity to address this issue and support mental well-being. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and evaluate a mobile mental health platform for children and young people, Mindcraft, which integrates passive sensor data monitoring with active self-reported updates through an engaging user interface to monitor their well-being. METHODS: A user-centered design approach was used to develop Mindcraft, incorporating feedback from potential users. User acceptance testing was conducted with a group of 8 young people aged 15-17 years, followed by a pilot test with 39 secondary school students aged 14-18 years, which was conducted for a 2-week period. RESULTS: Mindcraft showed encouraging user engagement and retention. Users reported that they found the app to be a friendly tool helping them to increase their emotional awareness and gain a better understanding of themselves. Over 90% of users (36/39, 92.5%) answered all active data questions on the days they used the app. Passive data collection facilitated the gathering of a broader range of well-being metrics over time, with minimal user intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The Mindcraft app has shown promising results in monitoring mental health symptoms and promoting user engagement among children and young people during its development and initial testing. The app's user-centered design, the focus on privacy and transparency, and a combination of active and passive data collection strategies have all contributed to its efficacy and receptiveness among the target demographic. By continuing to refine and expand the app, the Mindcraft platform has the potential to contribute meaningfully to the field of mental health care for young people

Internet of things in health: Requirements, issues, and gaps

Background and objectives: The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm has been extensively applied to several sectors in the last years, ranging from industry to smart cities. In the health domain, IoT makes possible new scenarios of healthcare delivery as well as collecting and processing health data in real time from sensors in order to make informed decisions. However, this domain is complex and presents several tech- nological challenges. Despite the extensive literature about this topic, the application of IoT in healthcare scarcely covers requirements of this sector. Methods: A literature review from January 2010 to February 2021 was performed resulting in 12,108 articles. After filtering by title, abstract, and content, 86 were eligible and examined according to three requirement themes: data lifecycle; trust, security, and privacy; and human-related issues. Results: The analysis of the reviewed literature shows that most approaches consider IoT application in healthcare merely as in any other domain (industry, smart cities…), with no regard of the specific requirements of this domain. Conclusions: Future effort s in this matter should be aligned with the specific requirements and needs of the health domain, so that exploiting the capabilities of the IoT paradigm may represent a meaningful step forward in the application of this technology in healthcare.Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidad, Junta de Andalucía P18-TPJ - 307

ProHealth eCoach: user-centered design and development of an eCoach app to promote healthy lifestyle with personalized activity recommendations

Background: Regular physical activity (PA), healthy habits, and an appropriate diet are recommended guidelines to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle can help to avoid chronic diseases and long-term illnesses. A monitoring and automatic personalized lifestyle recommendation system (i.e., automatic electronic coach or eCoach) with considering clinical and ethical guidelines, individual health status, condition, and preferences may successfully help participants to follow recommendations to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As a prerequisite for the prototype design of such a helpful eCoach system, it is essential to involve the end-users and subject-matter experts throughout the iterative design process. Methods: We used an iterative user-centered design (UCD) approach to understend context of use and to collect qualitative data to develop a roadmap for self-management with eCoaching. We involved researchers, non-technical and technical, health professionals, subject-matter experts, and potential end-users in design process. We designed and developed the eCoach prototype in two stages, adopting diferent phases of the iterative design process. In design workshop 1, we focused on identifying end-users, understanding the user’s context, specifying user requirements, designing and developing an initial low-fdelity eCoach prototype. In design workshop 2, we focused on maturing the low-fdelity solution design and development for the visualization of continuous and discrete data, artifcial intelligence (AI)-based interval forecasting, personalized recommendations, and activity goals. Results: The iterative design process helped to develop a working prototype of eCoach system that meets end-user’s requirements and expectations towards an efective recommendation visualization, considering diversity in culture, quality of life, and human values. The design provides an early version of the solution, consisting of wearable technology, a mobile app following the “Google Material Design” guidelines, and web content for self-monitoring, goal setting, and lifestyle recommendations in an engaging manner between the eCoach app and end-users. Conclusions: The adopted iterative design process brings in a design focus on the user and their needs at each phase. Throughout the design process, users have been involved at the heart of the design to create a working.publishedVersio