Motivational and Intervention Systems and Monitoring with mHealth Tools

摘要

Use of mobile and telecommunication technologies has become.;widespread in the last decade. With this development, use of mobile devices in.;healthcare (mHealth) is also increasing. Mobile phones, smartphones, and other.;mobile devices are affordable tools for different health-related services. In my.;research, with my research team, I have helped to develop several mHealth tools.;to address the quality of life of cancer survivors, cancer patients, and individuals.;at increased risk for cancer. Tobacco smoking is the major cause of several types.;of often-fatal cancers and cardio-respiratory diseases. Optimally, we hypothesize.;that the most effective mHealth tools should be customized and personalized. For.;smokers, the goal is to encourage cessation. For cancer survivors, one goal is to.;increase physical activity, which is associated with decreased rates of recurrent.;disease. In patients with incurable cancers, efficient and current monitoring of.;symptoms should contribute to better palliation. This dissertation explores.;multiple issues in use of mHealth tools with these medical populations. We.;discuss a general framework for collecting and managing healthcare data and.;mathematical models for data analysis. The specific contributions of this.;dissertation are: 1.) The design and development of a culturally tailored.;customized text messaging system for motivation and intervention; 2.) The.;design and development of a data collection system for an mHealth intervention,;and; 3.) A model for monitoring pain levels using mobile devices.