Abstract
Public health research has witnessed a rapid development in the use of location, environmental, behavioral, and biophysical sensors that provide high-resolution objective time-stamped data. This burgeoning field is stimulated by the development of novel multisensor devices that collect data for an increasing number of channels and algorithms that predict relevant dimensions from one or several data channels. Global positioning system (GPS) tracking, which enables geographic momentary assessment, permits researchers to assess multiplace personal exposure areas and the algorithm-based identification of trips and places visited, eventually validated and complemented using a GPS-based mobility survey. These methods open a new space-time perspective that considers the full dynamic of residential and nonresidential momentary exposures; spatially and temporally disaggregates the behavioral and health outcomes, thus replacing them in their immediate environmental context; investigates complex time sequences; explores the interplay among individual, environmental, and situational predictors; performs life-segment analyses considering infraindividual statistical units using case-crossover models; and derives recommendations for just-in-time interventions.
Highlights
Public health research has witnessed a rapid development in the use of location, environmental, behavioral, and biophysical sensors that provide high-resolution objective time-stamped data
As detailed in Supplemental Material 1, this review focused on sensor-based studies in the field of public health that assessed environmental exposures using either global positioning system (GPS) data or a dedicated device; of particular interest were studies that combined several tools
ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is typically useful to collect information on emotional status or mood (57); on experiences, intentions, and decisions; on specific aspects of behavior that cannot be objectively assessed; on accompanying persons (32); on other situational characteristics; on environmental perceptions [subjective account of the ecological context (52)]; and on aspects of the environment that cannot be characterized with sensors or geographic information systems
Summary
Public health research has witnessed a rapid development in the use of location, environmental, behavioral, and biophysical sensors that provide high-resolution objective time-stamped data. Researchers will have to develop multiple strategies to disaggregate temporally and spatially the exposures and the behavioral, psychological, and health outcomes, e.g., through passive sensing, GPS-based surveys, and EMA.
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