| Learning Objective #1: Define Ecological Momentary Assessment and describe appropriate uses of this technique in studying behavior change | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe advantages and disadvantages of using EMA to study attempts to change health behaviors |
Objective: This presentation describes advantages and disadvantages of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) – monitoring strategies to assess phenomena at the moment they occur in natural settings (Stone & Shiffman, 1994). Such assessments are useful in measuring transitory states, physical and psychological symptoms, and behaviors that are carried out repeatedly.
Design: Repeated Measures Correlational Study
Population/Setting: 93 smokers interested in quitting smoking enrolled in the study. The sample was 70% female, 87% Caucasian, with an average age of 43 years.
Concepts Studied: Factors related to providing valid data with EMA techniques.
Methods: While quitting smoking, participants carried a palmtop computer for 14 days, were “beeped” 5 times daily for assessment, and were to initiate an assessment when they smoked, or were tempted to smoke. At each assessment, they completed on-screen structured questions and dictated a narrative about their coping responses into a small tape recorder. Carbon Monoxide (CO) levels were used to validate reports of abstinence.
Findings: EMA techniques yielded exquisite detail about 1249 resisted temptations to smoke, 233 lapses, 3653 nontemptations, and 3123 coping strategies. However, 32 of the 93 participants had to be excluded, sometimes because the assessment burden was too great (10). Others were dropped because their reports of abstinence were inconsistent with measured CO levels, a common issue in smoking cessation studies. Those excluded did not differ from those who were included on age, gender, ethnic group, education, marital status, employment status or income.
Conclusions: EMA procedures are powerful methods for collecting data in the participants’ everyday life. However, some participants found these unusually-intensive EMA methods incompatible with job requirements.
Implications: Although EMA procedures may prevent biases to memory distortions and may provide means for identifying noncompliers, they do not appear to prevent reporting biases due to reluctance to admit failure in a cessation attempt.
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