Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Study XXXX Behavior in Urban India: There's an App for That.

@entity1 @entity286
BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) uses real-time data collection to assess @entity1 ' behaviors and environments. This paper explores the strengths and limitations of using EMA to examine social and environmental exposure to @entity286 in urban India among older adolescents and adults. OBJECTIVE: Objectives of this study were (1) to describe the methods used in an EMA study of @entity286 use in urban India using a mobile phone app for data collection, (2) to determine the feasibility of using EMA in the chosen setting by drawing on @entity1 completion and compliance rates with the study protocol, and (3) to provide recommendations on implementing mobile phone EMA research in India and other low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: Via mobile phones and the Internet, this study used two EMA surveys: (1) a momentary survey, sent multiple times per day at random to @entity1 , which asked about their real-time @entity286 use (smoked and smokeless) and exposure to pro- and antitobacco messaging in their location, and 2) an end-of-day survey sent at the end of each study day. Trained @entity1 , from Hyderabad and Kolkata, India, reported on their social and environmental exposure to @entity286 over 10 consecutive days. This feasibility study examined @entity1 compliance, exploring factors related to the successful completion of surveys and the validity of EMA data. RESULTS: The sample included 205 @entity1 , the majority of whom were male (135/205, 65.9%). Almost half smoked less than daily (56/205, 27.3%) or daily (43/205, 21.0%), and 4.4% (9/205) used smokeless @entity286 products. @entity1 completed and returned 46.87% and 73.02% of momentary and end-of-day surveys, respectively. Significant predictors of momentary survey completion included employment and completion of end-of-day surveys. End-of-day survey completion was only significantly predicted by momentary survey completion. CONCLUSIONS: This first study of EMA in India offers promising results, although more research is needed on how to increase compliance. End-of-day survey completion, which has a lower research burden, may be the more appropriate approach to understanding behaviors such as @entity286 use within vulnerable populations in challenging locations. Compliance may also be improved by increasing the number of study visits, compliance checks, or opportunities for retraining @entity1 before and during data collection.
