Health Participatory Sensing Networks for Mobile Device Public Health Data Collection and Intervention

The pervasive availability and increasingly sophisticated functionalities of smartphones and their connected external sensors or wearable devices can provide new data collection capabilities relevant to public health. Current research and commercial efforts have concentrated on sensor-based collection of health data for personal fitness and personal healthcare feedback purposes. However, to date there has not been a detailed investigation of how such smartphones and sensors can be utilized for public health data collection. Unlike most sensing applications, in the case of public health, capturing comprehensive and detailed data is not a necessity, as aggregate data alone is in many cases sufficient for public health purposes. As such, public health data has the characteristic of being capturable whilst still not infringing privacy, as the detailed data of individuals that may allow re-identification is not needed, but rather only aggregate, de-identified and non-unique data for an individual. These types of public health data collection provide the challenge of the need to be flexible enough to answer a range of public health queries, while ensuring the level of detail returned preserves privacy. Additionally, the distribution of public health data collection request and other information to the participants without identifying the individual is a core requirement. An additional requirement for health participatory sensing networks is the ability to perform public health interventions. As with data collection, this needs to be completed in a non-identifying and privacy preserving manner. This thesis proposes a solution to these challenges, whereby a form of query assurance provides private and secure distribution of data collection requests and public health interventions to participants. While an additional, privacy preserving threshold approach to local processing of data prior to submission is used to provide re-identification protection for the participant. The evaluation finds that with manageable overheads, minimal reduction in the detail of collected data and strict communication privacy; privacy and anonymity can be preserved. This is significant for the field of participatory health sensing as a major concern of participants is most often real or perceived privacy risks of contribution

The Effect of Wellness Coaching on Sense of Belonging Index Scores

The purpose of this study was to examine whether not wellness coaching, as implemented at St. Cloud State University, has a measurable impact on participant belonging, as operationalized by the SCSU Belonging Initiative\u27s periodic Sense of Belonging Index (SBI) surveys, which are administered at the beginning of each semester (Davis et al., 2019). Contemporary research indicates that a sense of belonging, or a lack thereof, is a key component in whether or not students continue to enroll on higher education, and is a stronger prediction of retention than GPA (Davis et al., 2019; O\u27Keeffe, 2013). Moreover, interventions designed to increase belonging may have an impact on reducing achievement gaps between majority and minority groups (Silver Wolf et al., 2017; Walten & Cohen, 2007). Wellness coaching is an intervention that can impact known factors of belonging (ACHA, 2020; Cemalcilar, 2010; Chiu, 2016; Clark et al., 2016; Duran et al., 2020; Krumrei-Mancuso et al., 2013; Masika, 2016; Pearson, 2012; Samura, 2016; Sforzo et al., 2017; Slaten et al., 2016; Swarbrick et al., 2011; Tachinea et al., 2017; Vaccaro, 2015). This study was designed to explore the relationship between belonging and wellness coaching by examining SBI survey scores before and after wellness coaching and determine if the process of using SBI scores was feasible as a method of evaluation. This study concluded that, while not enough data exists to determine the efficacy of wellness coaching in increasing SBI scores, this method of program evaluation is feasible and can be used again in the future as more data becomes available

A Sensor-based Learning Public Health System

New smartphone technologies for the first time provide a platform for a new type of on-person, public health data collection and also a new type of informational public health intervention. In such interventions, it is the device via automatically collecting data relevant to the individual’s health that triggers the receipt of an informational public health intervention relevant to that individual. This will enable far more targeted and personalized public health interventions than previously possible. However, furthermore, sensor-based public health data collection, combined with such informational public health interventions provides the underlying platform for a novel and powerful new form of learning public health system. In this paper we provide an architecture for such a sensor-based learning public health system, in particular one which maintains the anonymity of its individual participants, we describe its algorithm for iterative public health intervention improvement, and examine and provide an evaluation of its anonymity maintaining characteristics

Wishes For Wearables From Patients With Migraine

Migraine is a long-term failure mode, including a risk of disease-related deficits, that leads to social exclusion. The study was conducted among members of the Finnish Migraine Association and was aimed at identifying migraine patients with pre-symptoms and whether they would be willing to use wearable sensors to detect pre-symptoms. The survey received responses from 565 persons, 90% of whom were willing to use wearable sensors to measure pre-symptoms and support treatment. Moreover, the study revealed that 87.8% of migraine patients identified migraine’s early symptoms, the most common of which are tiredness, slow thinking, difficulty finding words and visual disturbances. Most of the respondents wanted the device placed on their wrist as a watch, wristband or skin patch

Cooperation across multiple healthcare clinics on the cloud

Many healthcare units are creating cloud strategies and mi- gration plans in order to exploit the benefits of cloud based computing. This generally involves collaboration between healthcare specialists and data management researchers to create a new wave of healthcare tech- nology and services. However, in many cases the technology pioneers are ahead of government policies as cloud based storage of healthcare data is not yet permissible in many jurisdictions. One approach is to store anonymised data on the cloud and maintain all identifying data locally. At login time, a simple protocol can be developed to allow clinicians to combine both sets of data for selected patients for the current session. However, the management of o↵-cloud identifying data requires a frame- work to ensure sharing and availability of data within clinics and the ability to share data between users in remote clinics. In this paper, we introduce the PACE healthcare architecture which uses a combination of Cloud and Peer-to-Peer technologies to model healthcare units or clin- ics where o↵-cloud data is accessible to all, and where exchange of data between remote healthcare units is also facilitated

The Development of the Holistic Pastoral Wellbeing Assessment: A Mixed Methods Study

Some pastors are clearly in crisis. Research has indicated that clergy struggle to cope with the stressors of their profession. While pastoral work is overtly spiritual in nature, day-to-day tasks include interactions with God, themselves, congregants, and the world at large. Without multi-dimensional tools to consider their wellbeing, specifically assessments that reflect their worldview and role, pastors may remain unaware of dangerously low levels of wellbeing until they reach a place of crisis. Therefore, in this mixed methods study, the Holistic Pastoral Wellbeing Assessment (HPWA) was developed and tested to offer a validated, useful tool for pastors and those who support them. The instrument utilized the World Health Organization\u27s 2004 holistic framework, asserting that spiritual, psychological, physical, social, and economic dimensions are all integral to a person’s holistic wellbeing. Items for the HPWA were developed using data from pilot studies and the wellbeing literature. The instrument’s reliability and validity were considered in two phases. Phase one consisted of a statistical analysis of the quantitative data. Phase two incorporated qualitative interviews with participants to allow them to member check the reliability of their assessment results. Statistical analysis suggested that the HPWA attained a high level of internal and construct validity. Participants reported that their HPWA scores were accurate. However, it was more important to them that the assessment was also useful for personal reflection, starting conversations, and seeking change. Regression analysis showed that the age and theological affiliations of pastors were significantly correlated to pastors’ HPWA scores. Qualitative interview data from participants suggested that negative early ministry experiences, key relationships as leaders, and agency in their roles were explanatory to the demographic correlations. This study actualizes holistic wellbeing theory into a validated and practical assessment tool. The HPWA may be useful to pastors and those who support them, helping to identify potential trouble spots in their own holistic wellbeing and to support their desired vocational trajectory. The results of this study suggest that research in the pastoral wellbeing field may benefit from moving from theory generation to the creation of practical tools, such as the HPWA, to support leaders’ holistic wellbeing

Development and validation of a brief measure of sexual wellbeing for population surveys: the Natsal Sexual Wellbeing Measure (Natsal-SW)

Sexual wellbeing is an important aspect of population health. Addressing and monitoring it as a distinct issue requires valid measures. Our previous conceptual work identified seven domains of sexual wellbeing: security; respect; self-esteem; resilience; forgiveness; self-determination; and comfort. Here, we describe the development and validation of a measure of sexual wellbeing reflecting these domains. Based on the analysis of 40 semi-structured interviews, we operationalized domains into items, and refined them via cognitive interviews, workshops, and expert review. We tested the items via two web-based surveys (n = 590; n = 814). Using data from the first survey, we carried out exploratory factor analysis to assess and eliminate poor performing items. Using data from the second survey, we carried out confirmatory factor analysis to examine model fit and associations between the item reduced measure and external variables hypothesized to correlate with sexual wellbeing (external validity). A sub-sample (n = 113) repeated the second survey after 2 weeks to evaluate test–retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a “general specific model” had best fit (RMSEA: 0.064; CFI: 0.975, TLI: 0.962), and functioned equivalently across age group, gender, sexual orientation, and relationship status. The final Natsal-SW measure comprised 13 items (from an initial set of 25). It was associated with external variables in the directions hypothesized (all p <.001), including mental wellbeing (0.454), self-esteem (0.564), body image (0.232), depression (−0.384), anxiety (−0.340), sexual satisfaction (0.680) and sexual distress (−0.615), and demonstrated good test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.78). The measure enables sexual wellbeing to be quantified and understood within and across populations