What is the project’s purpose?
The project supports the tackling a huge global social problem - physical inactivity. This is one of the most important contributors to poor health and wellbeing from cradle to grave. Being physically active also supports creation of wealth for individuals, businesses and populations. But accurate measurement of physical activity levels is difficult, and self-reported data is very unreliable and hugely over estimates real levels, reducing motivation for behavioural change.
We have developed a smart phone app able to generate an objective measurement of activity, educate people about their activity levels and achieve large-scale behavioural change. The app is composed of a mobile app tracking the individual and a server side program performing data cleaning and visualisation.
Our app is designed to support people in adopting a healthier lifestyle. It is designed to be fun and to generate a sense of city cohesion. It is also distributed for free. The app tracks the activity of a person (still, walking, running, cycling, etc.), the associated timing (e.g. you walked for 20 minutes starting from 12:23 on 20.12.2015) and location. The app enables users to monitor their personal lifestyle, including through the provision of directed and customised messages.
Aggregated and anonymysed data will be used for studies both in terms of social health and mobility as well as in terms of advancing the field of computer science/wellbeing. The location associated to the activity will also enable to understand how different parts of the city (and hence social strata) react to health messages via MoveMore or other sources (e.g. government or city council). Similarly it will enable understanding mobility patterns over time (how people move and in what ways) and hence to evaluate the impact of mobility measures (e.g. a change in parking regulations) in terms of impact on the health of the population.
The activity is carried out in collaboration with Sheffield’s Move More initiative http://www.movemoresheffield.com/
Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
This app integrates with the Health app on your iPhone.
Please read: risk of exercising
Medical research concludes that exercising is generally good for human health. Also it concludes that it is generally not necessary to see a health care specialist or doctor before beginning every-day physical activities that are of light or moderate intensity.
However it is very important that you consider the potential risks associated with physical activity and exercise in light of your personal circumstances and any condition you may have. We encourage you to talk with your doctor about your health and exercise as part of your regular visits.
The app may every now and then suggest that you change (e.g. increase) your exercise levels or that you take specific challenges. Please always consider carefully any exercise or additions to your routines in light of your personal circumstances and any condition you may have.
If at any time you experience any pain or difficulty with any exercise or physical activity, stop and consult your doctor immediately.
The University of Sheffield or its representative are not responsible for any injury or health problem you may experience (or even death!) as a result of using the app or following its advices.
Who has ethically reviewed the project?
This project has been ethically approved via the Computer Science department’s ethics review procedure. The University’s Research Ethics Committee monitors the application and delivery of the University’s Ethics Review Procedure across the University.
Contact for further information
Prof Fabio Ciravegna
Organisations, Information and Knowledge Research Group,
Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield
211 Portobello, Sheffield S1 4DP
tel:44(0)114-22.21940
[email protected]