Optimizing Self-Monitoring Smartphone App to Promote Adherence to COVID-19 Preventative Behaviors in African Americans

PROJECT Summary: As the United States faces a rise in known COVID-19 cases, an innovative strategy that expands communityadherence to CDC recommended preventative behaviors (e.g., hand washing and social distancing) is crucialto controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and saving lives. Given the vaccine and specific antiviral treatment forCOVID-19 will take months or years to finalize, preventive behaviors remain the most effective strategy thusfar.Adapted from the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) used in the parent R01 for smartphones, we planto develop a self-monitoring EMA (SM-EMA) intervention to collect real-time behavior data and promoteadherence to COVID-19 preventative behaviors. The central hypothesis of this study is that tailored-feedbackmessages via SM-EMA, a theory-based intervention, will improve knowledge and self-efficacy, which willconsequently lead to self-guided implementation of CDC-recommended preventative behaviors.The proposed research addresses the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on African Americans who are aparticularly vulnerable population. It is innovative in its large-scale testing of a novel SM-EMA to reinforcepreventive behaviors and its examination of the sustainability of engagement. The mobile-enabled SM-EMAintervention will involve tapering pop-up messages, behavioral self-monitoring and tailored-feedback. SM-EMAdevelopment has begun during the preparation of this application, so our team is well-prepared to immediatelyimplement the study once funded.