Background
Despite advances since the 2010 AHRQ & NIH systematic review, the available evidence is still insufficient to provide lifestyle recommendations regarding the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia. However, there is considerable research that suggests modifiable lifestyle factors reduce the incidence and prevalence of disease and cognitive decline. Furthermore, technological advancements are catalyzing a paradigm shift in the methodology of intervention. The availability and accessibility of smartphones are introducing new avenues for mHealth intervention. In this setting, advocacy agencies are developing programs to encourage people to engage with healthy activities to minimise their risk of dementia. With this objective, Dementia Australia, in partnership with Bupa Health Foundation, developed BrainyApp.
Aim
Our aim was to investigate the users of BrainyApp and the community data-set with a view to observational cohort recruitment via smartphone app. To examine the representativeness of cohort recruitment compared to traditional recruitment strategies.
Methods
Participants downloaded the BrainyApp on iOS/Android device. Stratified descriptive statistics were produced for: Demographics, Brain Health Survey, Brain Game, Quick Quiz, Activities.
Results
Between the 16th February 2016 and the 6th of March 2017, 9580 subjects downloaded BrainyApp and 8904 (92.2%) logged into BrainyApp at least once. Out of the 7787 BrainyApp users that provided demographic information; 72.7% (n=5663) were female, mean age was 49.7 years (SD=17.5).
Conclusion
Multimodal interventions via mHealth recruit a broad age range of participants and with similar health metrics to the general population. BrainyApp users showed significantly higher adherence to Australian health guidelines than the general population.