UBC Smartphone and Sleep Study

About the Smartphone and Sleep Study:

Ever since the rise of technology, smartphones have been embedded in our daily lives, performing numerous tasks for us ranging from waking us up in the morning, keeping us entertained and informed throughout the day and before bed. As a research team from the Social Health Lab, we are investigating how the amount of time spent on smartphones influences sleep quality and well-being.

Who is involved in this project: 

The interdisciplinary team of investigators includes Dr. Frances Chen (Principal Investigator), Dr. Christine Anderl and Marlise Hofer from the UBC Social Health Lab.

How is the study funded?

This study is funded by the Healthy Behaviour Data Challenge (challenge sponsors: Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and MaRS Discovery District (MaRS)).

• You will be asked to meet with a research assistant from the UBC Social Health Lab for an initial test session (30-40 minutes). There will be set locations in Greater Vancouver where you will be introduced to the study by the research assistant.
• You will be asked to complete some questionnaires on a computer that the research assistant will provide, and to install and set up a research application on your smartphone with the help of the research assistant.
• The application will record information about when and how you use your phone in general for a study period of 7 days.
• Additionally, we will ask you to complete five 1-minute surveys per day and to wear a sleep watch during all 7 nights of the study. This is a machine that looks like a small watch and will measure your sleep quality by recording your movements throughout the night.
• Finally, you will be invited back to the Social Health Lab or coffee shop to return all study materials and to complete some final questionnaires. In this session, the research assistant will explain the study in more detail and answer any questions that you might have (30-40 minutes).
• You will be financially compensated for your participation.