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Personal Diary and Survey Methodologies for 

Health and Environmental Data Collection

Paul N. Kizakevich

RTI International

Session 6: Diary surveys that effectively utilize technology

to facilitate recordkeeping or recall
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Agenda

Example diary collection methodologies

• PFILES

Real-time exposure-related diaries of activity, location, 

environment, dietary consumption, and product use 

• Personal Health Monitor (PHM)

Daily/weekly PTSD and TBI symptom and risk assessment 

• BreathEasy

Daily assessment of asthma triggers, health, and ventilation

New technology 

• Personal Health Intervention Tool

Dynamic multiple-instrument data collection and interactions
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Headset/Fob Pocket PC Activity / Location / Diet Coding

Diary 

request

Responses

Questions

PFILES - Voice Diary
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PFILES - Photo Diary

120o lens Pocket PC Image Censoring & Analysis
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PFILES - Daily activities - multilevel menus
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PFILES – User-specified information

Other – Specify form allows for text, voice, or script data entry
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PFILES – Second generation features
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Example activity and dietary data

Time Food / Beverage

17:01:43 Tea

18:05:59 Cheese (plain or as part of dish)

18:05:59 Crackers, any kind

18:03:02 Beef or veal

18:03:02 Potatoes, any other

18:03:02 Other salad

13:06:20 Nuts (peanuts, etc.)

13:06:20 Coffee

21:59:52 Tea

13:15:03 Banana

13:15:03 Chicken, turkey or other poultry

17:51:26 Beans, green

17:51:26 Potatoes, any other

Time Activity

12:00:44 Grooming/Dressing

15:24:06 Wash/Dry/Sort/Iron Clothes

15:25:40 Riding in Motor Vehicle

15:26:40 Clothes

16:42:33 Eating/Drinking

16:44:44 Picking up/Putting Away Items

18:23:56 Household Paperwork

18:24:57 Relaxing or Resting

19:38:21 Picking up/Putting Away Items

19:39:52 Preparing Food

19:40:33 Watching TV

23:14:07 Other Washing

23:14:38 Sleeping
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Data Entry Burden (median)

Time to complete entry in seconds

Measured Perceived

Menu Menu Voice Paper

Act/Loc/Environ 28 45 60 60

 Activity 11

 Location 9

 Combustion 1

 Smoking 3

 Windows/doors 4

Cleaning products 36 60 n/a 60

Pesticides 131 60 n/a 120

Burden for each entry of an activity/location and for each product use questionnaire 
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10

PHM - Home and Instrument Menus 

Touch-enabled forms and browser buttons facilitate usability.
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11

PHM - Daily Sleep Quality

Object-oriented form attributes facilitate design and presentation. 
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BreathEasy
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BreathEasy Android App

 Collects Observations of daily 

living (ODLs)

 Symptoms 

 Rescue and controller 

medication usage

 Daily reminder

 Automatic data Transmission

 Health related SMS messages

 Weather alerts
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BreathEasy Android App

Observation Daily Living

 Peak Flow Rate

 Medication use

 Asthma triggers and symptoms

 Emotional measurement

 Activity, Sleeping

 Smoking
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BreathEasy Website Dashboard

Designed for clinicians to monitor patient status
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16

Personal Health Intervention Tool

Goal – Mobile, personalized, adaptive health management. 

How –

Monitor and measure health, behavior, and environment

Periodically assess health and behavior status

Plan and schedule interventions and assessments

Provide interventions, education, exercises, and other activities 

to improve health, behavior, and social and cognitive support 
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PHIT Health Management Model

Sub/Obj Measurement Health Assessment Activity Planning

Daily Screen

PCL-M

PSQI

HRV

Cognitive

Battery

*

*

*

Measures,

Sub-scores,

Scores

History

Activity

Resources

Self-Help

Plan

Activities

Self-Help

Activity

Metrics

Self-Help

Prescription

Ontology

Seek

Medical Care

Evidence

Evidence

Actigraphy

Measurement 

Scheduling

Scheduling

Logic

Health State 

Criteria

Thresholds

Clinical

Alert

Subclinical

Suspect

Normal

Hyperarousal

Depression

Sleep disorder

Avoidance

Sociality

Alcohol use

Health State Domains

Pain

Virtual Advisor

Activity Manager

Instrumentation System

Sensor
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Protocol

PHIT Process & Data Model

18

Virtual

Advisor

PHIT

Activity

Manager

System 

Manager

Dynamic

Top Menu

Startup 

Options

System System Instruments

Case

Manager

ID, PIN,

PW, PHR

Protocol

Smartphone 

(Instrument)

Case

Manager

ID, PIN,

PW, PHR

Views

Battery

Forms/ 

Sensors

Data Objs

Data Files

Data 

Objects

Upload & 

Report

System System Activities

Content

Scheduler

System System

Health 

Domains

Rules / 

Explanations

MVC

Controller

Study