FCMHW PROGRAM: Using COVID-19 pandemic data on mental and physical health in Australian men to design Just In Time Adaptive interventions

Contact: Prof Robert Adams

Overview:

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created once-in-a-century economic conditions, which present serious challenges to the health and well-being of Australians for both mental and physical health.

Using COVID-19 response data collected from men in the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS) & the North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS), the aim is to develop a detailed understanding of the acute and medium-term economic drivers of mental and physical health maintenance in well-characterised, representative cohorts of men.

Modelling of these data will be used as the basis for an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) pilot trial using an established, smartphone-based platform (Intui). EMA allows the repeated collection and pushing of real-time, real-world data as micro-interventions, and is increasingly used as the basis of Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAs) in reactive processes, such as psychological distress.

The efficacy of this platform in supporting mental and physical health among male-predominant groups and industries such as firefighters, construction workers and in sporting clubs will be evaluated.

The program aims to create ongoing partnerships and an accessible resource with the capacity to evaluate the health impact of future adverse life events and identify optimal public health and policy responses.