Health@NUS - Studying Health Behaviours and Well-being During the Student-to-Work Life Transition Using mHealth

The study aims to investigate body-weight and behavioural trajectories, as well as their underlying individual, social, and environmental determinants from University to early working life. The study employs mHealth approaches in the form of a smartphone app and smart wearables to collect health behaviour and related information to answer the following research questions:

1. To what extend do health behaviours (activity, diet, and sleep), body weight, and mental well-being change during the transition from university to early working life?
2. What is the relationship between health behaviours and mental well-being, and how does it differ at different stages of the transition from University to early working life?
3. What are the determinants of physical activity, healthy eating and sleep in university students and young working adults?
4. Do these determinants differ at different stages of the student to work life transition?
5. If so, how do these differences in these determinants relate to changes in health behaviours, weight status, and mental well-being?

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy

Detailed Description

This is a prospective cohort study. The study period for each participant is 2 years. Participants are required to download the study's smartphone app and wear the assigned smartwatch to collect various information (including step counts and sleep time). Physical measurements are taken in person at baseline, 12 months and 24 months visits. These measurements include height, weight, waist circumference, resting heart rate and blood pressure.

Questionnaires administered at baseline, 12 months and 24 months include:

• Demographics (age, gender, religion, socio-economic status, education level)
• Personality
• Dietary intake and habits
• Physical activity, sedentary behavior and screen time
• Active and passive transport use
• Smoking habit
• Sleep quality
• Mental health and wellness
• Medical history
• Women's health-related

Participants will also receive occasional surveys sent to their smartphone through the study app. These surveys will include questions about sleep, diet, technology use, binge drinking, smoking, physical activities and/or emotions.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 1300

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Chua Xin Hui; Phone Number: +65-6601-1940; Email: xinhui.chua@nus.edu.sg
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Tay Zoey; Email: ephtz@nus.edu.sg

Study Locations

• Singapore
  • Singapore, Singapore, 117597
    • Recruiting
    • Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore
    • Contact: Yeo Shumian; Phone Number: +65-66013442; Email: yshumian@nus.edu.sg

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 26 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This is a cohort of National University of Singapore (NUS) (undergraduate and postgraduate) students.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Full time National University of Singapore students (undergraduate and postgraduate)
• Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident;
• Has a Singapore registered mobile number• Owns a mobile phone with operating system that is compatible with the study app (iOS 10 or Android 7 and above);
• Able to make the upfront deposit of $20 and able to set up the Direct Debit Authorization (DDA) for possible deductions by HPB;
• Able to understand the study procedure during the informed consent taking process.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Students who will be overseas for more than 6 weeks per trip during the study period (e.g. involved in overseas exchange/internship programmes or stationed overseas) or travelling frequently;
• Students who are not able to set up the DDA via online method will be excluded;
• Students who has worked in a full-time position for more than a year previously;
• Pregnant women will be excluded only at the point of recruitment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Changes in health behaviours - physical activity	Baseline, 12 and 24 months follow up
Changes in health behaviours - dietary pattern	Baseline, 12 and 24 months follow up
Changes in health behaviours - sleep pattern	Baseline, 12 and 24 months follow up
Changes in health behaviours - mental well-being	Baseline, 12 and 24 months follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Blood pressure (mmHG)	Baseline, 12 and 24 months follow-up
Resting heart rate (bpm)	Baseline, 12 and 24 months follow-up
Body Mass Index (kg/m^2)	Baseline, 12 and 24 months follow-up
Waist circumference (cm)	Baseline, 12 and 24 months follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National University, Singapore
• Collaborators: Health Promotion Board, Singapore
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, National University, Singapore

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 20, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): November 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Anticipated): November 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 30, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): December 13, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 13, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 30, 2021
• Last Verified: November 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: mhealth; young adults cohort
• Other Study ID Numbers: Health@NUS

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No