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The financial toll of alcohol-related harm on NHS England is significant, amounting to £3.5 billion each year, while the UK witnesses approximately 70 alcohol-related fatalities daily. Recent research led by the University of Bristol suggests that smartwatches could enhance the accuracy of tracking individuals’ drinking behaviors compared to traditional methods, representing a potential breakthrough for future alcohol-related interventions.
The study, titled ‘AlcoWatch,’ is pioneering in its application of smartwatch technology for gathering real-time, self-reported alcohol consumption data over extended periods. The results of this research have been published in the journal JMIR Formative Research.
Traditionally, the preferred method for tracking daily alcohol intake is through an online diary known as the Timeline Followback (TLFB) approach. However, this method often suffers from reliability issues, primarily due to participants’ struggles to accurately recall their drinking details from several days or weeks prior.
The primary objectives of this study were to assess the practicality of employing smartwatch technology for alcohol data collection, evaluate its acceptance across varying socio-economic groups, and determine if participant engagement levels were greater than those reported using TLFB.
A total of 32 participants from the Bristol’s Children of the 90s health study utilized standard Android smartwatches equipped with a specially designed ‘AlcoWatch’ application. Throughout a span of 12 weeks, participants were prompted five times daily to report on any alcoholic beverages consumed in the preceding two hours, the context of their consumption, and whether they were alone or in company.
As part of the research, participants also maintained bi-weekly online diaries detailing their drinking habits through the TLFB method. At the conclusion of the study, participants shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews.
Findings revealed that participants exhibited higher engagement levels with the ‘AlcoWatch’ app compared to the TLFB method.
One notable advantage of this increased engagement is the reduction in missing data, which enhances the robustness of any analysis relating to drinking behaviors. The researchers observed that participants from lower socio-economic backgrounds demonstrated decreased engagement relative to those from higher socio-economic strata.
In essence, the research team concluded that the ‘AlcoWatch’ smartwatch system is a viable tool for accurately recording alcohol consumption data. Participants responded positively to the tool, marking its potential for real-world application as individuals go about their daily routines. This capability will enable researchers to explore drinking patterns more comprehensively over both short and long durations than previously feasible.
Chris Stone, a Senior Research Associate in Wearable Technology Application Development with Bristol’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, expressed enthusiasm about the findings, stating, “Our study illustrates that smartwatches are highly promising for observing drinking behaviors within everyday environments.”
Dr. Andy Skinner, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, contextualized the significance of the findings within broader research initiatives. He noted that similar advances had been made with smartwatches in tracking smoking behaviors through a program called ‘StopWatch.’ He asserted, “This new research extends our previous insights, showcasing smartwatch data capture methods as beneficial for a broader range of health-related behaviors, thus facilitating the development of novel interventions for addressing significant challenges like harmful drinking.”
The research team suggests that future inquiries should investigate the reasons behind the lower engagement levels among some participants, including factors like comfort in wearing smartwatches, battery longevity, and charging frequency. Further exploration into the disparities in engagement between different socio-economic groups is also warranted.
This study received funding through a UKRI Innovation Fellowship awarded to Dr. Andy Skinner and was conducted as part of the Cancer Research UK-funded Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Programme (ICEP) and the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MRC IEU). It served as a sub-study within the larger Children of the 90s project, also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which is supported by funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome, and the University of Bristol.
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