Traditional long-term research projects share results with participants at the end of a study, but oftentimes the information they receive is too little, too late. To address that, Whole CommunitiesWhole Health is developing an interactive smartphone app that will translate raw data collected during the study into actionable, real-time information. Participants will be able to discern patterns in their own sleep quality, mood, physical activity, and environmental quality, among other variables. The team is also learning how to incorporate community-level information to give participants an understanding of how their household fits into the broader context of health in their community. As results are analyzed over time, community organizations can pinpoint issues and concerns on a systemic level and use this evidence to advocate for new policies or programs.
Progress and Results: Early prototypes of the dashboard are being shared with community members and potential participants in ten focus groups in Fall 2020. The team hopes to learn what features and health feedback matters most to families. In addition, the elements of the dashboard served to lay a foundation for the Protect Texas Together app deployed by the University of Texas in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.