Ambulatory Smoking Habits Investigation based on Physiology and Context (ASSIST) using wearable sensors and mobile phones: protocol for an observational study

Precision prevention in occupational health: a conceptual analysis and development of a unified understanding and an integrative framework

Introduction

Precision prevention implements highly precise, tailored health interventions for individuals by directly addressing personal and environmental determinants of health. However, precision prevention does not yet appear to be fully established in occupational health. There are numerous understandings and conceptual approaches, but these have not yet been systematically presented or synthesized. Therefore, this conceptual analysis aims to propose a unified understanding and develop an integrative conceptual framework for precision prevention in occupational health.

Methods

Firstly, to systematically present definitions and frameworks of precision prevention in occupational health, six international databases were searched for studies published between January 2010 and January 2024 that used the term precision prevention or its synonyms in the context of occupational health. Secondly, a qualitative content analysis was conducted to analyze the existing definitions and propose a unified understanding. Thirdly, based on the identified frameworks, a multi-stage exploratory development process was applied to develop and propose an integrative conceptual framework for precision prevention in occupational health.

Results

After screening 3,681 articles, 154 publications were reviewed, wherein 29 definitions of precision prevention and 64 different frameworks were found, which can be summarized in eight higher-order categories. The qualitative content analysis revealed seven themes and illustrated many different wordings. The proposed unified understanding of precision prevention in occupational health takes up the identified themes. It includes, among other things, a contrast to a "one-size-fits-all approach" with a risk- and resource-oriented data collection and innovative data analytics with profiling to provide and improve tailored interventions. The developed and proposed integrative conceptual framework comprises three overarching stages: (1) data generation, (2) data management lifecycle and (3) interventions (development, implementation and adaptation).

Discussion

Although there are already numerous studies on precision prevention in occupational health, this conceptual analysis offers, for the first time, a proposal for a unified understanding and an integrative conceptual framework. However, the proposed unified understanding and the developed integrative conceptual framework should only be seen as an initial proposal that should be critically discussed and further developed to expand and strengthen both research on precision prevention in occupational health and its practical application in the workplace.

Characterizing and Modeling Smoking Behavior Using Automatic Smoking Event Detection and Mobile Surveys in Naturalistic Environments: Observational Study

Background

There are 1.1 billion smokers worldwide, and each year, more than 8 million die prematurely because of cigarette smoking. More than half of current smokers make a serious quit every year. Nonetheless, 90% of unaided quitters relapse within the first 4 weeks of quitting due to the lack of limited access to cost-effective and efficient smoking cessation tools in their daily lives.

Objective

This study aims to enable quantified monitoring of ambulatory smoking behavior 24/7 in real life by using continuous and automatic measurement techniques and identifying and characterizing smoking patterns using longitudinal contextual signals. This work also intends to provide guidance and insights into the design and deployment of technology-enabled smoking cessation applications in naturalistic environments.

Methods

A 4-week observational study consisting of 46 smokers was conducted in both working and personal life environments. An electric lighter and a smartphone with an experimental app were used to track smoking events and acquire concurrent contextual signals. In addition, the app was used to prompt smoking-contingent ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys. The smoking rate was assessed based on the timestamps of smoking and linked statistically to demographics, time, and EMA surveys. A Poisson mixed-effects model to predict smoking rate in 1-hour windows was developed to assess the contribution of each predictor.

Results

In total, 8639 cigarettes and 1839 EMA surveys were tracked over 902 participant days. Most smokers were found to have an inaccurate and often biased estimate of their daily smoking rate compared with the measured smoking rate. Specifically, 74% (34/46) of the smokers made more than one (mean 4.7, SD 4.2 cigarettes per day) wrong estimate, and 70% (32/46) of the smokers overestimated it. On the basis of the timestamp of the tracked smoking events, smoking rates were visualized at different hours and were found to gradually increase and peak at 6 PM in the day. In addition, a 1- to 2-hour shift in smoking patterns was observed between weekdays and weekends. When moderate and heavy smokers were compared with light smokers, their ages (P<.05), Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (P=.01), craving level (P<.001), enjoyment of cigarettes (P<.001), difficulty resisting smoking (P<.001), emotional valence (P<.001), and arousal (P<.001) were all found to be significantly different. In the Poisson mixed-effects model, the number of cigarettes smoked in a 1-hour time window was highly dependent on the smoking status of an individual (P<.001) and was explained by hour (P=.02) and age (P=.005).

Conclusions

This study reported the high potential and challenges of using an electronic lighter for smoking annotation and smoking-triggered EMAs in an ambulant environment. These results also validate the techniques for smoking behavior monitoring and pave the way for the design and deployment of technology-enabled smoking cessation applications.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028284

Prediction of Smoking Risk From Repeated Sampling of Environmental Images: Model Validation

Background

Viewing their habitual smoking environments increases smokers’ craving and smoking behaviors in laboratory settings. A deep learning approach can differentiate between habitual smoking versus nonsmoking environments, suggesting that it may be possible to predict environment-associated smoking risk from continuously acquired images of smokers’ daily environments.

Objective

In this study, we aim to predict environment-associated risk from continuously acquired images of smokers’ daily environments. We also aim to understand how model performance varies by location type, as reported by participants.

Methods

Smokers from Durham, North Carolina and surrounding areas completed ecological momentary assessments both immediately after smoking and at randomly selected times throughout the day for 2 weeks. At each assessment, participants took a picture of their current environment and completed a questionnaire on smoking, craving, and the environmental setting. A convolutional neural network–based model was trained to predict smoking, craving, whether smoking was permitted in the current environment and whether the participant was outside based on images of participants’ daily environments, the time since their last cigarette, and baseline data on daily smoking habits. Prediction performance, quantified using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and average precision (AP), was assessed for out-of-sample prediction as well as personalized models trained on images from days 1 to 10. The models were optimized for mobile devices and implemented as a smartphone app.

Results

A total of 48 participants completed the study, and 8008 images were acquired. The personalized models were highly effective in predicting smoking risk (AUC=0.827; AP=0.882), craving (AUC=0.837; AP=0.798), whether smoking was permitted in the current environment (AUC=0.932; AP=0.981), and whether the participant was outside (AUC=0.977; AP=0.956). The out-of-sample models were also effective in predicting smoking risk (AUC=0.723; AP=0.785), whether smoking was permitted in the current environment (AUC=0.815; AP=0.937), and whether the participant was outside (AUC=0.949; AP=0.922); however, they were not effective in predicting craving (AUC=0.522; AP=0.427). Omitting image features reduced AUC by over 0.1 when predicting all outcomes except craving. Prediction of smoking was more effective for participants whose self-reported location type was more variable (Spearman ρ=0.48; P=.001).

Conclusions

Images of daily environments can be used to effectively predict smoking risk. Model personalization, achieved by incorporating information about daily smoking habits and training on participant-specific images, further improves prediction performance. Environment-associated smoking risk can be assessed in real time on a mobile device and can be incorporated into device-based smoking cessation interventions.

Reveal Temporal Patterns of Smoking Behavior in Real Life Using Data Acquired through Automatic Tracking Systems

Accurately monitoring and modeling smoking behavior in real life settings is critical for designing and delivering appropriate smoking-cessation interventions through mHealth applications. In this paper, we inspect smoking patterns based on data collected from 52 volunteers during a 4-week period of their everyday lives. These data are acquired by an automatic data acquisition system comprising an electric lighter, two wearable sensors and one mobile phone, which together can automatically track smoking events, collect concurrent context and physiology, and trigger pop-up questionnaires. We visualize temporal patterns of smoking at the level of the week, day and time of the day. Statistical analysis on all subjects has demonstrated significant differences at the levels evaluated. Distinct emotions during smoking at individual level are also found. Quantified smoking patterns can upgrade our understanding of individual behaviors and contribute to optimizing intervention plans.