title: The Asthma Mobile Health Study, a large-scale clinical observational study using ResearchKit.
abstract: The feasibility of using mobile health applications to conduct observational clinical studies requires rigorous validation. Here, we report initial findings from the Asthma Mobile Health Study, a research study, including recruitment, consent, and enrollment, conducted entirely remotely by smartphone. We achieved secure bidirectional data flow between investigators and 7,593 participants from across the United States, including many with severe asthma. Our platform enabled prospective collection of longitudinal, multidimensional data (e.g., surveys, devices, geolocation, and air quality) in a subset of users over the 6-month study period. Consistent trending and correlation of interrelated variables support the quality of data obtained via this method. We detected increased reporting of asthma symptoms in regions affected by heat, pollen, and wildfires. Potential challenges with this technology include selection bias, low retention rates, reporting bias, and data security. These issues require attention to realize the full potential of mobile platforms in research and patient care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.|Department of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Yu-Feng Yvonne
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tignor
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Micol
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zweig
authors.affiliation: LifeMap Solutions, Inc., New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Steven G
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9167-7380
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Hershman
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.|Department of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Genes
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Erick R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: LifeMap Solutions, Inc., New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krock
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Badgeley
authors.affiliation: LifeMap Solutions, Inc., New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Edgar
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Violante
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.|Department of Pediatrics, Pulmonary and Critical Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.|Department of Environmental Medicine &Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Rosalind
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3509-891X
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.|Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Joel T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Dudley
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Eric E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Schadt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods; D018579:Patient Selection; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult