Assessing Smart Phones for Generating Life-Space Indicators

Neng Wan, Wenyu Qu, Jackie Whittington, Bradley C Witbrodt, Mary Pearl Henderson, Evan H Goulding, A Katrin Schenk, Stephen J Bonasera and Ge Lin
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Neng Wan: The University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Health Services Research and Administration, College of Public Health, 984350 University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-4350, USA
Wenyu Qu: Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts of Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
Jackie Whittington: The University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, 3028 Durham Research Center II, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5039, USA
Bradley C Witbrodt: The University of Nebraska College of Medicine, 986155 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6155, USA
Mary Pearl Henderson: The Hill School, 717 East High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464, USA
Evan H Goulding: Northwestern University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 446 E. Ontario, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
A Katrin Schenk: Randolph College, Department of Physics, 2500 Rivermont Ave, Lynchburg, VA 24503, USA
Stephen J Bonasera: The University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, 3028 and Durham Research Center II, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5039, USA
Ge Lin: The University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Health Services Research and Administration, College of Public Health, 984350 University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-4350, USA

Environment and Planning B, 2013, vol. 40, issue 2, 350-361

Abstract: Life-space is a promising method for estimating older adults' functional status. However, traditional life-space measures are costly and time consuming because they often rely on active subject participation. This study assesses the feasibility of using the global positioning system (GPS) function of smart phones to generate life-space indicators. We first evaluated the location accuracy of smart-phone-collected GPS points versus those acquired by a commercial GPS unit. We then assessed the specificity of the smart-phone-processed life-space information against the traditional diary method. Our results suggested comparable location accuracy between the smart phone and the standard GPS unit in most outdoor situations. In addition, the smart-phone method revealed more comprehensive life-space information than the diary method, which leads to higher and more consistent life-space scores. We conclude that the smart-phone method is more reliable than traditional methods for measuring life-space. Further improvements will be required to develop a robust application of this method that is suitable for health-related practices.

Keywords: life-space; GPS; smart phone; activity space; functional status; mobility; GIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envirb:v:40:y:2013:i:2:p:350-361

DOI: 10.1068/b38200

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