Creating personas for exposome research: the experience from the HEAP project

Abstract

The exposome is a complex scientific field that has enjoyed consistent growth over the last two decades, defined as the composite of every exposure to which an individual is subjected from conception to death. The study of the exposome requires consideration of both the nature of those exposures and their changes over time, and as such necessitates high quality data and software solutions. As the exposome is both a broad and a recent concept, it is challenging to define or to introduce in a structured way. Thus, an approach to assist with clear definitions and a structured framework is needed for the wider scientific and public communication. Results: A set of 14 personas were developed through three focus groups and a series of 14 semi-structured interviews. The focus groups defined the broad themes specific to exposome research, while the sub-themes emerged to saturation via the interviews process. Personas are imaginary individuals that represent segments/groups of real people within a population. Within the context of the HEAP project, the created personas represented both exposome data generators and users. Conclusion: Personas have been implemented successfully in computer science, improving the understanding of human-computer interaction. The creation of personas specific to exposome research adds a useful tool supporting education and outreach activities for a complex scientific field.

EAACI guidelines on environmental science for allergy and asthma: The impact of short‐term exposure to outdoor air pollutants on asthma‐related outcomes and recommendations for mitigation measures

“…The study of the exposome requires consideration of both the co-exposures and their changes over time, and as such requires high-quality data and software solutions combining precision immunology tools with the opportunity offered by major advances in data science. [167][168][169][170][171][172] As the exposome is both a broad and a recent concept, it is challenging to define or to introduce in a structured way. Thus, an approach to assist with clear definitions and a structured framework is needed for the wider scientific community and for public communication.…”

“…Studies on the impact of the exposome, covering all environmental exposures throughout an individual's life span, on the dysfunction of the epithelial barriers are needed to improve the understanding of epithelial barrier‐related diseases such as asthma and raise awareness of the environmental insults that pose a threat to human health. The study of the exposome requires consideration of both the co‐exposures and their changes over time, and as such requires high‐quality data and software solutions combining precision immunology tools with the opportunity offered by major advances in data science 167–172 . As the exposome is both a broad and a recent concept, it is challenging to define or to introduce in a structured way.…”

“…As the exposome is both a broad and a recent concept, it is challenging to define or to introduce in a structured way. Thus, an approach to assist with clear definitions and a structured framework is needed for the wider scientific community and for public communication 168 . A more comprehensive model is the One Health approach, with a sharp focus on human, animal and environmental health interconnections.…”