Using a Smartwatch App to Understand Young Adult Substance Use: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Substance Use Research
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Young adults in the U.S. have high rates of substance use, linked to significant health issues.
• Ubiquitous technologies offer new ways to collect real-world data on substance use.
• Smartwatches are underutilized platforms for collecting granular data on substance use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a smartwatch application for collecting ecological momentary assessment data on young adult substance use.
• To assess the usability and acceptability of a smartwatch app for real-time substance use monitoring.

Main Methods:

• An iterative, 2-phase design process was used with young adults (18-25 years) reporting recent alcohol or cannabis use.
• Participants used a smartwatch app for 14 days to report substance use, context, and psychosocial factors.
• User experience surveys and semistructured interviews informed app refinement and evaluation.

Main Results:

• The app demonstrated high and consistent usage, with participants using it for an average of 11.73 days out of 14.
• Participants successfully reported 67 instances of substance use across diverse contexts.
• User feedback indicated the app was usable, functional, and minimally disruptive, with positive impacts from iterative design.

Conclusions:

• A smartwatch-based app is an acceptable and useful tool for collecting intensive, longitudinal data on young adult substance use.
• Smartwatches provide a novel, low-burden platform for studying sensitive behaviors like substance use.