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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314356
Title: An exploratory study on a chest-worn computer for evaluation of diet, physical activity and lifestyle

Author
item SUN, MINGUI - University Of Pittsburgh
item BURKE, LORA - University Of Pittsburgh
item BARANOWSKI, THOMAS - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item FERNSTROM, JOHN - University Of Pittsburgh
item ZHANG, HONG - Beihang University
item CHEN, HSIN - Washington University
item BAI, YICHENG - University Of Pittsburgh
item LI, YUECHENG - University Of Pittsburgh
item LI, CHENGLIU - University Of Pittsburgh
item YUE, YAOFENG - University Of Pittsburgh
item LI, ZHEN - University Of Pittsburgh
item NIE, JIE - University Of Pittsburgh
item SCLABASSI, ROBERT - Computational Diagnostics, Inc
item MAO, ZHI - University Of Pittsburgh
item JIA, WENYAN - University Of Pittsburgh

Submitted to: Journal of Healthcare Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2014
Publication Date: 3/1/2015
Citation: Sun, M., Burke, L.E., Baranowski, T., Fernstrom, J.D., Zhang, H., Chen, H.C., Bai, Y., Li, Y., Li, C., Yue, Y., Li, Z., Nie, J., Sclabassi, R.J., Mao, Z.H., Jia, W. 2015. An exploratory study on a chest-worn computer for evaluation of diet, physical activity and lifestyle. Journal of Healthcare Engineering. 6(1):1-22.

Interpretive Summary: Advances in science depend on accurate measures of the phenomena studied. Advances in research on human nutrition and physical activity have faced limits when studied in natural environments due to the large error of self report. The eButton is a tool that attempts to minimize these errors by employing multiple sensors (accelerometer, GPS, light, etc.) and all day images (taken at 2 to 10 second intervals throughout the day). This paper describes the eButton, how it works, and research findings primarily in the areas of diet and physical activity. As this research progresses, the output should be a fully automated hardware and software system that accurately measures diet and physical activity, thereby enhancing the relevant science.

Technical Abstract: Recently, wearable computers have become new members in the family of mobile electronic devices, adding new functions to those provided by smartphones and tablets. As "always-on" miniature computers in the personal space, they will play increasing roles in the field of healthcare. In this work, we present our development of eButton, a wearable computer designed as a personalized, attractive, and convenient chest pin in a circular shape. It contains a powerful microprocessor, numerous electronic sensors, and wireless communication links. We describe its design concepts, electronic hardware, data processing algorithms, and its applications to the evaluation of diet, physical activity and lifestyle in the study of obesity and other chronic diseases.