Smartphones and Smartwatches: Powerful Tools for Public Health Research
Smartphones have transformed into essential medical research tools, thanks to the collaboration of ingenious engineers and dedicated clinicians. The data generated by smart mobile devices and smartwatches is now being harnessed to advance medical research, ultimately improving patient care at hospitals and clinics.
In 2015, Apple launched the Apple Research app, encouraging users to share their health data for various research projects. Today, over 200,000 individuals contribute their data to studies such as:
The Heart and Movement Study
Women's Health Study
Hearing Study
The Apple Women's Health Study, a joint effort with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, aims to deepen our understanding of menstrual cycles and their connection to health conditions like abnormal periods, PCOS, infertility, and endometrial hyperplasia.
Preliminary analysis of data from over 50,000 participants revealed:
12% reported a PCOS diagnosis, with those affected experiencing more than four times the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (precursor to uterine cancer) and over 2.5 times the risk of uterine cancer
5.7% experienced cycle regularity taking five or more years to achieve after their first period, with these individuals facing more than twice the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and over 3.5 times the risk of uterine cancer compared to those whose cycles became regular within a year
Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, MS runs the Apple Women's Health Study and says that these findings serve as an initial step towards better understanding risk factors for these diseases and promoting discussions between individuals and their healthcare providers about cycle irregularity.
Additional insights from previous Apple Women's Health Study updates include:
A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that 16.4% of participants experienced cycle deviations, such as irregular or prolonged periods, which could indicate underlying conditions like PCOS, fibroids, malignancies, or infections
Researchers discovered that the most commonly reported menstrual symptoms were abdominal cramps, bloating, and tiredness (logged by over 60% of participants), with more than half reporting acne and headaches, and 37% noting less widely recognized symptoms like diarrhea and sleep changes
Analysis of over 125,000 menstrual cycles showed that participants experienced slightly longer cycles after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, but their cycles typically returned to pre-vaccination lengths in the following cycle
These groundbreaking approaches to healthcare have us eagerly anticipating further research and future updates. As we enter this new era, numerous research groups are analyzing data and uncovering remarkable findings that will reshape our treatment models and expand treatment options in the future. With the help of smart devices, hospitals and clinics can leverage this wealth of information to provide better patient care and develop more targeted treatment plans.