@inproceedings{01J81RG3KG1RCCTB592K3ESCE3,
  abstract     = {{Background: Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is increasingly used to gather intensive, longitudinal data on health behavior. However, a significant concern is the potential for low and non-random compliance with (mobile) EMA protocols, especially in older adults. This study aimed to thoroughly examine older adults’ compliance with mobile EMA protocols in health behavior studies.
Methods: Four intensive longitudinal observational studies employing mobile EMA were conducted, involving 278 community-dwelling older adults in Flanders. EMA questionnaires were triggered by a smartphone application during specific time slots or events. Participant characteristics, including demographics, BMI, and smartphone ownership, were collected via self-report. Data on prompt times and participant responses were extracted from the EMA applications. Descriptive statistics were computed, and logistic mixed models were run.
Findings: EMA compliance averaged 75.45%, varying from 65.18% to 83.13% across studies. Compliance differed among subgroups and throughout the day. Age and pre-retirement blue-collar occupation predicted lower compliance (OR=0.96, 95%CI=0.94, 0.99, and OR=0.71, 95%CI=0.48, 1.04, respectively), while marital/cohabiting status and smartphone ownership predicted higher compliance (OR=1.76, 95%CI=1.18, 2.63, and OR=4.41, 95%CI=2.21, 8.79, respectively). Compliance was lower in the evening than in the morning (OR=0.77, 95%CI=0.66, 0.91), indicating non-random patterns that could impact study validity.
Discussion: Non-compliance in our dataset is not entirely random, influenced by specific subgroups and temporal patterns, potentially biasing study outcomes. Tailored approaches considering individual characteristics and temporal patterns, along with statistical techniques, such as multiple imputation and inverse probability weighting, are recommended to improve the validity of EMA results in future health behavior research.}},
  author       = {{Compernolle, Sofie and Vetrovsky, Tomas and Maes, Iris and Delobelle, Julie and Lebuf, Elien and De Vylder, Flore and Cnudde, Kim and Van Dyck, Delfien}},
  booktitle    = {{Health Psychology for a Sustainable Future : 38th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) Book of Abstracts}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  location     = {{Cascais, Portugal}},
  pages        = {{638--638}},
  title        = {{Older adults' compliance with mobile ecological momentary assessments in health behavior research : future recommendations}},
  url          = {{https://2024.ehps.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ehps-2024_abstracts-Page-numbers.pdf}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}