| Popis: |
BACKGROUND The implementation of digital technologies in clinical research represents an opportunity to facilitate the collection of health data and empower research participants. The acceptance of health technologies is usually evaluated in patients or healthcare practitioners, but not in clinical research participants. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate clinical research participants’ equipment, usage and appeal for digital health and digital dietary assessment tools. METHODS A 27-item questionnaire was provided to the 11.695 members of a nutrition clinical research participant database from the Nantes area (France), to assess (1) participants’ social and demography parameters, (2) equipment and usage of health apps and devices, (3) expectations in research setting and (4) opinion about the future of clinical research. Each item was described using frequency and percentage overall and by age classes. To address observed frequencies and age-related differences, a global proportion comparison was performed using chi-square or Fisher-exact tests. Results of pairwise proportion comparisons were adjusted to account for multiple comparisons according to the Bonferroni-Holm method. RESULTS A total of 1529 respondents (81.0% women, 19.0% men) completed the survey, of which 95.1% reported owning a smartphone and 78.1% declared using at least one health app. Main uses of health apps included physical activity tracking (54.7%, age-related group difference, p CONCLUSIONS Our cross-sectional study suggests that clinical study participants are enthusiastic about all forms of digital health technologies and participant-centered studies but remain concerned about the use of personal data. Repeated assessments are suggested to evaluate the research participant’s interest in technologies following the increase in use and demand for innovative health services during the pandemic of COVID-19. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable (not a trial) |
