NCT03344796

UV Exposure Assessed With Wearable Sensor and Sun Protection

A Real-time, Cost-effective, Accurate UV Measurement and Sun Protection System to Prevent and Reduce the Incidence of Sunburn in High-risk Consumers

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 164 (actual)
• Sponsor: Northwestern University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The goal is to prevent ultraviolet light (UV) overexposure by providing consumers with relevant, easy-to-access, specifically actionable information. This research proposal will develop a UV protection system consisting of an automated real-time counseling framework and a personal dosimeter that overcomes barriers to consumer adoption. These new, wearable sensors take the form of small (\< 1 cm), thin (\<0.1 mm), lightweight (\<0.1 g), battery-free "stickers" that are fundamentally differentiated from other wearable electronics in their modes of use, cost structures and accuracy.

Detailed description

The proposed work is to refine and validate a UV protection system based on a dosimeter "sticker." The key innovations of the system are automated personalized intervention messaging triggered by the exposure levels measured by a novel charge accumulation device applied to ultraminiaturized circuit forms. The research will validate the system's accuracy and acceptability to users, refine the device, and prove its robustness and efficacy in real world use cases. Focus groups and structured interviews will develop sun protection strategies to be communicated by text messages to participants. Successful completion of the research will yield a system to prevent excessive UV exposure and sunburn, thus reducing the incidence of skin cancer by equipping large numbers of general-population consumers and at-risk people to practice digitally-informed healthy sun behavior.

Conditions

• Sunburn, Erythema
• Sun Protection

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Goal attainment	After reviewing daily UV exposure in the prior 10 days, participants will be randomized to structured (select strategies from a list of 7 items) or unstructured (submit a free text description of a strategy) goal attainment.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-06-30
• Primary completion: 2020-09-30
• Completion: 2020-09-30
• First posted: 2017-11-17
• Last updated: 2023-07-27
• Results posted: 2023-07-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States