Feasibility and Acceptability of Global Positioning System (GPS) Methods to Study the Spatial Contexts of Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men in New York City: A P18 Cohort Sub-Study

Abstract

BackgroundNo global positioning system (GPS) technology study has been conducted among a sample of young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (YMSM). As such, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using GPS methods to understand the spatial context of substance use and sexual risk behaviors among a sample of YMSM in New York City, a high-risk population.MethodsData came from a subsample of the ongoing P18 Cohort Study (n = 75). GPS feasibility and acceptability among participants was measured with: 1) a pre- and post-survey and 2) adherence to the GPS protocol which included returning the GPS device, self-report of charging and carrying the GPS device as well as objective data analyzed from the GPS devices. Analyses of the feasibility surveys were treated as repeated measures as each participant had a pre- and post-feasibility survey. When comparing the similar GPS survey items asked at baseline and at follow-up, we present percentages and associated p-values based on chi-square statistics.ResultsParticipants reported high ratings of pre-GPS acceptability, ease of use, and low levels of wear-related concerns in addition to few concerns related to safety, loss, or appearance, which were maintained after baseline GPS feasibility data collection. The GPS return rate was 100%. Most participants charged and carried the GPS device on most days. Of the total of 75 participants with GPS data, 75 (100%) have at least one hour of GPS data for one day and 63 (84%) had at least one hour on all 7 days.ConclusionsResults from this pilot study demonstrate that utilizing GPS methods among YMSM is feasible and acceptable. GPS devices may be used in spatial epidemiology research in YMSM populations to understand place-based determinants of health such as substance use and sexual risk behaviors.

Acceptability of ecological momentary assessment among young men who have sex with men

“…Regarding the current study, participants were enrolled in a sub-study aiming to assess the acceptability and feasibility of using Global Positioning System (GPS) methods to measure spatial mobility and exposure to neighborhood contexts ( n =75) (Duncan et al, 2016). Recruitment methods have been described previously.…”

Comparing the Data Quality of GPS Devices and Smartphones for Assessing Relationships between Place, Mobility, and Health: A Field Study (Preprint)

“…Prior feasibility studies with GPS devices for location-tracking in health have surfaced similar issues in use of such devices [31,44]. Moreover, previous work shows that GPS devices typically only function outdoors, where they can connect with multiple satellites, and perform best in places away from dense buildings [10,11].…”

“…To date, a variety of pilot and feasibility studies have examined user acceptance of devices such as wearable activity trackers [9,10], dedicated GPS devices [11], and GPS-enabled smartphones [12,13]. While this research generally shows reasonable acceptance among varied user groups, there remain gaps in understanding the spatial accuracy of each of these devices -particularly those that are available on the consumer market and thus could facilitate population-level research.…”

Residential and GPS-Defined Activity Space Neighborhood Noise Complaints, Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure Among Low-Income Housing Residents in New York City

“…During the study orientation along with the baseline assessment, participants were instructed how to wear the GPS device (QStarz BT-Q1000XT GPS, Qstarz International Co., Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan) all the time except while sleeping, bathing, or swimming for one week, which was consistent with the prior studies [29, 30]. Participants were also asked to respond to the series of questions for a travel diary, e.g., “Did you charge the GPS monitor today?” GPS data were recorded at 30-second intervals.…”

“…Research staff received the devices from participants, either meeting at public locations (e.g., library, coffee shop), or the project office. Participants followed the study's GPS protocol as described previously [27, 29]. …”