Wearable technology and daily diaries for studying mental health: lessons learned from pilot studies in Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Wearable technology and daily diaries offer insights into everyday behaviors that can further health research and treatment globally. However, the use of these methodologies outside of high-income settings has been limited. We conducted two pilot studies that enrolled 60 young women in the urban slums of Kampala, Uganda to understand design considerations associated with using wearable technology and daily diaries in this context. Each participant in the pilot studies was asked to wear a wearable activity tracker and complete daily diary questionnaires for 5 days. Based on our experiences, we identified several lessons that may be beneficial to others interested in implementing wearable technology and daily self-reports in their research and interventions, particularly when working in low-resource contexts. We discuss the importance of designing solutions tailored to the available resources, building validation for the most critical measures, investing in data management efforts and providing transparent and culturally accessible information to participants. Examples from our study are provided. These lessons may reduce the barriers and improve data quality for future researchers and practitioners interested in using these data collection methods globally.

Keywords: Mobile health; actigraphy; cultural sensitivity; developing countries; global mental health.