Alcohol-related harm costs NHS England a staggering £3.5 billion annually, with 70 people succumbing to alcohol-related causes daily in the UK.
To address these pressing concerns, research led by the University of Bristol unveils a promising innovation—smartwatches equipped with groundbreaking monitoring technology. This development could herald a transformative era for alcohol interventions.
Dubbed “AlcoWatch,” this pioneering study introduces a smartwatch-based method called micro Ecological Momentary Assessment, marking a departure from traditional tools for tracking alcohol consumption. The study investigates this novel approach’s feasibility, acceptability, and engagement levels.
Timeline Followback (TLFB)—an online diary method—is the standard for tracking daily drinking habits. However, TLFB suffers from limitations, including memory lapses about consuming alcohol over days or weeks. The AlcoWatch initiative seeks to eliminate these shortcomings.
The study engaged 32 participants from the Children of the 90s health study who wore Android smartwatches embedded with the AlcoWatch app. Over 12 weeks, participants were prompted five times daily to report their alcohol consumption details, including quantity, context, and social setting. Additionally, fortnightly TLFB-based diaries were maintained, and semi-structured interviews concluded the study.
Key findings revealed that AlcoWatch achieved higher engagement levels than TLFB, significantly reducing missing data, crucial for robust behavioral analyses. However, researchers noted disparities in engagement among participants from varying socio-economic groups.
This study demonstrates smartwatches’ considerable ability to capture data about alcohol drinking behavior in real-life environments.
Low social status increases alcohol-related health risks
According to Dr. Andy Skinner, Senior Research Fellow, the findings, which build on previous studies utilizing smartwatches for smoking cessation interventions, highlight how smartwatch-based methods could expand the scope of health-related behavior research.
The researchers recommend addressing challenges like device comfort, battery life, and reduced engagement among socio-economically diverse groups. Future studies could enhance AlcoWatch’s applicability and contribute to impactful alcohol-related interventions.
With its capacity to capture detailed real-world data, AlcoWatch sets the stage for a revolutionary approach to understanding and addressing alcohol consumption behaviors, signaling a critical step in tackling alcohol-related harm.
Journal Reference
- Chris Stone, Sally Adams, Robyn E Wootton, Andy Skinner. Smartwatch-based ecological momentary assessment for high temporal density longitudinal measurement of alcohol use (‘AlcoWatch’): a feasibility evaluation. JMIR Formative Research. DOI: 10.2196/63184
Source: Tech Explorist
