Syndromic Surveillance Insights from a Symptom Assessment App Before and During COVID-19 Measures in Germany and the United Kingdom: Results From Repeated Cross-Sectional Analyses.

Abstract:

BACKGROUND:Unprecedented lockdown measures have been introduced in countries worldwide to mitigate the spread and consequences of COVID-19. Although attention has been focused on the effects of these measures on epidemiological indicators relating directly to the infection, there is increased recognition of their broader health implications. However, assessing these implications in real time is a challenge, due to the limitations of existing syndromic surveillance data and tools. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study is to explore the added value of mobile phone app-based symptom assessment tools as real-time health insight providers to inform public health policy makers. METHODS:A comparative and descriptive analysis of the proportion of all self-reported symptoms entered by users during an assessment within the Ada app in Germany and the United Kingdom was conducted between two periods, namely before and after the implementation of "Phase One" COVID-19 measures. Additional analyses were performed to explore the association between symptom trends and seasonality, and symptom trends and weather. Differences in the proportion of unique symptoms between the periods were analyzed using a Pearson chi-square test and reported as log2 fold changes. RESULTS:Overall, 48,300-54,900 symptomatic users reported 140,500-170,400 symptoms during the Baseline and Measures periods in Germany. Overall, 34,200-37,400 symptomatic users in the United Kingdom reported 112,100-131,900 symptoms during the Baseline and Measures periods. The majority of symptomatic users were female (Germany: 68,600/103,200, 66.52%; United Kingdom: 51,200/71,600, 72.74%). The majority were aged 10-29 years (Germany: 68,500/100,000, 68.45%; United Kingdom: 50,900/68,800, 73.91%), and about one-quarter were aged 30-59 years (Germany: 26,200/100,000, 26.15%; United Kingdom: 14,900/68,800, 21.65%). Overall, 103 symptoms were reported either more or less frequently (with statistically significant differences) during the Measures period as compared to the Baseline period, and 34 of these were reported in both countries. The following mental health symptoms (log2 fold change, P value) were reported less often during the Measures period: inability to manage constant stress and demands at work (-1.07, P<.001), memory difficulty (-0.56, P<.001), depressed mood (-0.42, P<.001), and impaired concentration (-0.46, P<.001). Diminished sense of taste (2.26, P<.001) and hyposmia (2.20, P<.001) were reported more frequently during the Measures period. None of the 34 symptoms were found to be different between the same dates in 2019. In total, 14 of the 34 symptoms had statistically significant associations with weather variables. CONCLUSIONS:Symptom assessment apps have an important role to play in facilitating improved understanding of the implications of public health policies such as COVID-19 lockdown measures. Not only do they provide the means to complement and cross-validate hypotheses based on data collected through more traditional channels, they can also generate novel insights through a real-time syndromic surveillance system.

journal_name

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

journal_title

JMIR mHealth and uHealth

authors

Mehl A,Bergey F,Cawley C,Gilsdorf A

doi

10.2196/21364

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2020-10-09 00:00:00

pages

e21364

issue

10

issn

2291-5222

pii

v8i10e21364

journal_volume

8

pub_type

杂志文章
  • mHealth Technology Use and Implications in Historically Underserved and Minority Populations in the United States: Systematic Literature Review.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:The proportion of people in the United States who are members of at least two ethnic groups is projected to increase to 10% by the year 2050. This makes addressing health disparities and health inequities in minority populations increasingly more difficult. Minority populations, including those who classify ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章,评审

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.8383

    authors: Anderson-Lewis C,Darville G,Mercado RE,Howell S,Di Maggio S

    更新日期:2018-06-18 00:00:00

  • Implementation of a confidential helpline for men having sex with men in India.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:In India, men who have sex with men (MSM) often face physical violence and harassment from police and the general society. Many MSM may not openly disclose their sexual identity, especially if they are married to women and have families. Due to pervasive stigma and discrimination, human immunodeficiency viru...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.3978

    authors: Agarwal A,Hamdallah M,Swain SN,Mukherjee S,Singh N,Mahapatra S,King EJ,Pulerwitz J,Thior I

    更新日期:2015-02-11 00:00:00

  • Use of the Chatbot "Vivibot" to Deliver Positive Psychology Skills and Promote Well-Being Among Young People After Cancer Treatment: Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Positive psychology interventions show promise for reducing psychosocial distress associated with health adversity and have the potential to be widely disseminated to young adults through technology. OBJECTIVE:This pilot randomized controlled trial examined the feasibility of delivering positive psychology ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章,随机对照试验

    doi:10.2196/15018

    authors: Greer S,Ramo D,Chang YJ,Fu M,Moskowitz J,Haritatos J

    更新日期:2019-10-31 00:00:00

  • Correction: COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: A Technologic Tower of Babel and the Gap for International Pandemic Control.

    abstract::[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/23194.]. ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 已发布勘误

    doi:10.2196/26239

    authors: Du L,Raposo VL,Wang M

    更新日期:2020-12-04 00:00:00

  • Mobile Health Interventions for Self-Control of Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Systematic Review.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Unhealthy alcohol use (UAU) is one of the major causes of preventable morbidity, mortality, and associated behavioral risks worldwide. Although mobile health (mHealth) interventions can provide consumers with an effective means for self-control of UAU in a timely, ubiquitous, and cost-effective manner, to da...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/10899

    authors: Song T,Qian S,Yu P

    更新日期:2019-01-29 00:00:00

  • Mobile Electronic Medical Records Promote Workflow: Physicians' Perspective From a Survey.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:As a result of demographic changes, physicians are required to deliver needed services with limited resources. Research suggests that tablet PCs with access to patient data may streamline clinical workflow. A recent study found tablets with mobile electronic medical records (EMRs) can facilitate data retriev...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.5464

    authors: Duhm J,Fleischmann R,Schmidt S,Hupperts H,Brandt SA

    更新日期:2016-06-06 00:00:00

  • mHealthApps: A Repository and Database of Mobile Health Apps.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:The market of mobile health (mHealth) apps has rapidly evolved in the past decade. With more than 100,000 mHealth apps currently available, there is no centralized resource that collects information on these health-related apps for researchers in this field to effectively evaluate the strength and weakness o...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.4026

    authors: Xu W,Liu Y

    更新日期:2015-03-18 00:00:00

  • Feasibility of a Mobile Phone App to Support Recovery From Addiction in China: Secondary Analysis of a Pilot Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Mobile health technologies have been found to improve the self-management of chronic diseases. However, there is limited research regarding their feasibility in supporting recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) in China. OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of a mobile ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.8388

    authors: Han H,Zhang JY,Hser YI,Liang D,Li X,Wang SS,Du J,Zhao M

    更新日期:2018-02-27 00:00:00

  • Augmented Reality in Medicine: Systematic and Bibliographic Review.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that integrates digital information into the user's real-world environment. It offers a new approach for treatments and education in medicine. AR aids in surgery planning and patient treatment and helps explain complex medical situations to patients and their relatives....

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/10967

    authors: Eckert M,Volmerg JS,Friedrich CM

    更新日期:2019-04-26 00:00:00

  • Effect of a Mobile App for the Pharmacotherapeutic Follow-Up of Patients With Cancer on Their Health Outcomes: Quasi-Experimental Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Oral antineoplastic agents (OAAs) have revolutionized cancer management. However, they have been reported with adverse side effects and drug-drug interactions. Moreover, patient adherence to OAA treatment is critical. Mobile apps can enable remote and real-time pharmacotherapeutic monitoring of patients, whi...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/20480

    authors: Collado-Borrell R,Escudero-Vilaplana V,Ribed A,Gonzalez-Anleo C,Martin-Conde M,Romero-Jimenez R,Iglesias-Peinado I,Herranz-Alonso A,Sanjurjo-Saez M

    更新日期:2020-10-16 00:00:00

  • User Perceptions of an mHealth Medicine Dosing Tool for Community Health Workers.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Mobile health (mHealth) technologies provide many potential benefits to the delivery of health care. Medical decision support tools have shown particular promise in improving quality of care and provider workflow. Frontline health workers such as Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been shown to be effectiv...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.2459

    authors: Palazuelos D,Diallo AB,Palazuelos L,Carlile N,Payne JD,Franke MF

    更新日期:2013-04-04 00:00:00

  • Veterans' Attitudes Toward Smartphone App Use for Mental Health Care: Qualitative Study of Rurality and Age Differences.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Mental health smartphone apps provide support, skills, and symptom tracking on demand and come at minimal to no additional cost to patients. Although the Department of Veterans Affairs has established itself as a national leader in the creation of mental health apps, veterans' attitudes regarding the use of ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/10748

    authors: Connolly SL,Miller CJ,Koenig CJ,Zamora KA,Wright PB,Stanley RL,Pyne JM

    更新日期:2018-08-22 00:00:00

  • A Real-Time Autonomous Dashboard for the Emergency Department: 5-Year Case Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:The task of monitoring and managing the entire emergency department (ED) is becoming more important due to increasing pressure on the ED. Recently, dashboards have received the spotlight as health information technology to support these tasks. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to describe the development of a real...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/10666

    authors: Yoo J,Jung KY,Kim T,Lee T,Hwang SY,Yoon H,Shin TG,Sim MS,Jo IJ,Paeng H,Choi JS,Cha WC

    更新日期:2018-11-22 00:00:00

  • Creating Gameful Design in mHealth: A Participatory Co-Design Approach.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Gameful designs (gamification), using design pieces and concepts typically found in the world of games, is a promising approach to increase users' engagement with, and adherence to, electronic health and mobile health (mHealth) tools. Even though both identifying and addressing users' requirements and needs ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/11579

    authors: Jessen S,Mirkovic J,Ruland CM

    更新日期:2018-12-14 00:00:00

  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Mobile Health: App Investigation and Scoping Literature Review.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent mental health issue among veterans. Access to PTSD treatment is influenced by geographic (ie, travel distance to facilities), temporal (ie, time delay between services), financial (ie, eligibility and cost of services), and cultural (ie, social stigma) barr...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.7318

    authors: Rodriguez-Paras C,Tippey K,Brown E,Sasangohar F,Creech S,Kum HC,Lawley M,Benzer JK

    更新日期:2017-10-26 00:00:00

  • Physical Activity Assessment Using an Activity Tracker in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Axial Spondyloarthritis: Prospective Observational Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Physical activity can be tracked using mobile devices and is recommended in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) management. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150 min per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). OBJECTIVE:The objectives of this st...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.7948

    authors: Jacquemin C,Servy H,Molto A,Sellam J,Foltz V,Gandjbakhch F,Hudry C,Mitrovic S,Fautrel B,Gossec L

    更新日期:2018-01-02 00:00:00

  • Impact of Social Determinants of Health and Demographics on Refill Requests by Medicare Patients Using a Conversational Artificial Intelligence Text Messaging Solution: Cross-Sectional Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Nonadherence among patients with chronic disease continues to be a significant concern, and the use of text message refill reminders has been effective in improving adherence. However, questions remain about how differences in patient characteristics and demographics might influence the likelihood of refill ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/15771

    authors: Brar Prayaga R,Agrawal R,Nguyen B,Jeong EW,Noble HK,Paster A,Prayaga RS

    更新日期:2019-11-18 00:00:00

  • Quality Assurance of Health Wearables Data: Participatory Workshop on Barriers, Solutions, and Expectations.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:The ubiquity of health wearables and the consequent production of patient-generated health data (PGHD) are rapidly escalating. However, the utilization of PGHD in routine clinical practices is still low because of data quality issues. There is no agreed approach to PGHD quality assurance; therefore, realizin...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/15329

    authors: Abdolkhani R,Gray K,Borda A,DeSouza R

    更新日期:2020-01-22 00:00:00

  • Reliability of a Smartphone Compared With an Inertial Sensor to Measure Shoulder Mobility: Cross-Sectional Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:The shoulder is one of the joints with the greatest mobility within the human body and its evaluation is complex. An assessment can be conducted using questionnaires or functional tests, and goniometry can complement the information obtained in this assessment. However, there are now validated devices that c...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/13640

    authors: Roldán-Jiménez C,Martin-Martin J,Cuesta-Vargas AI

    更新日期:2019-09-06 00:00:00

  • Concussion Assessment With Smartglasses: Validation Study of Balance Measurement Toward a Lightweight, Multimodal, Field-Ready Platform.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Lightweight and portable devices that objectively measure concussion-related impairments could improve injury detection and critical decision-making in contact sports and the military, where brain injuries commonly occur but remain underreported. Current standard assessments often rely heavily on subjective ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.8478

    authors: Salisbury JP,Keshav NU,Sossong AD,Sahin NT

    更新日期:2018-01-23 00:00:00

  • Explaining Differences in the Acceptability of 99DOTS, a Cell Phone-Based Strategy for Monitoring Adherence to Tuberculosis Medications: Qualitative Study of Patients and Health Care Providers.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:99DOTS is a cell phone-based strategy for monitoring tuberculosis (TB) medication adherence that has been rolled out to more than 150,000 patients in India's public health sector. A considerable proportion of patients stop using 99DOTS during therapy. OBJECTIVE:This study aims to understand reasons for vari...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/16634

    authors: Thomas BE,Kumar JV,Onongaya C,Bhatt SN,Galivanche A,Periyasamy M,Chiranjeevi M,Khandewale AS,Ramachandran G,Shah D,Haberer JE,Mayer KH,Subbaraman R

    更新日期:2020-07-31 00:00:00

  • Women's Attitudes Toward Self-Monitoring of Their Pregnancy Using Noninvasive Electronic Devices: Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Pregnancy can be distressing, particularly if expectant mothers are worried about the well-being of their fetus. Consequently, the desire for reassurance and frequent fetal monitoring is often pronounced. Smart wearable devices and telemedicine are promising tools that could assist women in self-monitoring t...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章,多中心研究

    doi:10.2196/11458

    authors: Schramm K,Grassl N,Nees J,Hoffmann J,Stepan H,Bruckner T,Haun MW,Maatouk I,Haist M,Schott TC,Sohn C,Schott S

    更新日期:2019-01-07 00:00:00

  • A Pedometer-Guided Physical Activity Intervention for Obese Pregnant Women (the Fit MUM Study): Randomized Feasibility Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Obesity in pregnancy is a growing problem worldwide, with excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) occurring in the majority of pregnancies. This significantly increases risks to both mother and child. A major contributor to both prepregnancy obesity and excessive GWG is physical inactivity; however, past int...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/15112

    authors: Darvall JN,Wang A,Nazeem MN,Harrison CL,Clarke L,Mendoza C,Parker A,Harrap B,Teale G,Story D,Hessian E

    更新日期:2020-05-26 00:00:00

  • A Mobile System to Improve Quality of Life Via Energy Balance in Breast Cancer Survivors (BENECA mHealth): Prospective Test-Retest Quasiexperimental Feasibility Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Energy balance is defined as the difference between energy expenditure and energy intake. The current state of knowledge supports the need to better integrate mechanistic approaches through effective studies of energy balance in the cancer population because of an observed significant lack of adherence to he...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/14136

    authors: Lozano-Lozano M,Cantarero-Villanueva I,Martin-Martin L,Galiano-Castillo N,Sanchez MJ,Fernández-Lao C,Postigo-Martin P,Arroyo-Morales M

    更新日期:2019-06-25 00:00:00

  • What to Build for Middle-Agers to Come? Attractive and Necessary Functions of Exercise-Promotion Mobile Phone Apps: A Cross-Sectional Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Physical activity is important for middle-agers to maintain health both in middle age and in old age. Although thousands of exercise-promotion mobile phone apps are available for download, current literature offers little understanding regarding which design features can enhance middle-aged adults' quality p...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.6233

    authors: Liao GY,Chien YT,Chen YJ,Hsiung HF,Chen HJ,Hsieh MH,Wu WJ

    更新日期:2017-05-25 00:00:00

  • A Mobile Health Intervention for HIV Prevention Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Young Men: Usability Evaluation.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Mobile health (mHealth) apps have the potential to be a useful mode of delivering HIV prevention information, particularly for young men (13-24 years) who account for 21% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States. We translated an existing evidence-based, face-to-face HIV prevention curriculum into a portabl...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/11450

    authors: Cho H,Powell D,Pichon A,Thai J,Bruce J,Kuhns LM,Garofalo R,Schnall R

    更新日期:2018-09-07 00:00:00

  • Development and Pilot Testing of Text Messages to Help Reduce Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Rural Caregivers and Adolescents: Mixed Methods Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:A high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) poses significant health concerns, particularly for rural adults and adolescents. A manner in which the health of both caregivers and adolescents can be improved is by developing innovative strategies that target caregivers as the agents of change. Sendi...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/14785

    authors: Yuhas M,Porter KJ,Brock DP,Loyd A,McCormick BA,Zoellner JM

    更新日期:2019-07-30 00:00:00

  • Preliminary Effects of a Mobile Interactive Supervised Therapy Intervention on People Living With HIV: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:As people living with HIV infection require lifelong treatment, nonadherence to medication will reduce their chance of maintaining viral suppression and increase the risk of developing drug resistance and HIV transmission. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile app, Mobile Interacti...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/15702

    authors: Pang Y,Molton JS,Ooi WT,Paton NI,He HG

    更新日期:2020-03-27 00:00:00

  • Correction: Excessive Smartphone Use and Self-Esteem Among Adults With Internet Gaming Disorder: Quantitative Survey Study.

    abstract::[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/18505.]. ...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 已发布勘误

    doi:10.2196/24869

    authors: Kim H,Choi IY,Kim DJ

    更新日期:2020-11-03 00:00:00

  • Diabetes Data Management System to Improve Glycemic Control in People With Type 1 Diabetes: Prospective Cohort Study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Smartphone and Web technology can improve the health care process, especially in chronic diseases. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of blood glucose (BG) data management system, which enables connection to smartphones, the Web, the cloud, and downloading, can improve glycem...

    journal_title:JMIR mHealth and uHealth

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.2196/mhealth.8532

    authors: Irace C,Schweitzer MA,Tripolino C,Scavelli FB,Gnasso A

    更新日期:2017-11-21 00:00:00