# Ecological assessment of social network contacts in drinking contexts: Peer proximity detection using wearable sensors

> **NIH NIH R21** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $192,969

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Young adult drinking most frequently occurs in a social facilitation context, in groups and with close friends,
and such situations are high risk for excessive alcohol use. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has
been used to gather information about drinking episodes, but relying on participants to initiate reports under
peer-intensive circumstances has limitations. A promising means to detect and characterize social drinking
contexts is to use an unobtrusive sensor-based approach, a Bluetooth-based transmitter, in the context of an
EMA protocol. In this application we propose to develop the optimal methods for using Bluetooth devices to
detect contact between young adults in order to gather real-time information about high-risk social drinking
situations. The project’s aims are to: (1) establish the feasibility and acceptability of an EMA protocol using
Bluetooth-based detection of contacts among participants and their peers; (2) evaluate the Bluetooth
technology with regard to functionality, as measured by user experience and app data, and reliability, as
measured by the concordance between Bluetooth detection of social contact and participant self-report; and
(3) evaluate the peer selection process with regard to the predictive utility of peer characteristics for
interactions with alcohol involvement and to evaluate the moderating role of peer characteristics on the
feasibility, acceptability, functionality, and reliability of the Bluetooth technology. Following a pilot phase with a
small (N = 5) group of participants to adjust procedures and technologies, a community sample of 35 young
adult drinkers (age 18-24) will complete a three-week EMA study. Participants first will complete a social
network interview to assess characteristics of close peer relationships (quality, frequency of interaction,
frequency of consuming alcohol with the peer). The participant will identify three peers who will be asked to
carry a small ID-coded Bluetooth beacon or download an app (peers will not otherwise participate in the EMA
phase). The EMA protocol will include signal-contingent prompts when the peer Bluetooth signal is detected,
which will prompt a survey about the social context (including presence and drinking behavior of peers), as well
as random prompts, drinking event-contingent surveys, and morning surveys. After the EMA phase, a follow-up
interview administered to participants and peers will assess user experience (feasibility, acceptability of
methods). Analyses will include enrollment, compliance, and retention of participants and peers, functionality of
the Bluetooth approach with special attention to missing data, concordance between sensor and self-report
data, and analysis of how different peer characteristics predict these outcomes. The primary objective of this
innovative proposal is to obtain data on user experience and Bluetooth sensor usability to develop cutting-edge
procedures, measures, and technology to support a larger i...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10023246
- **Project number:** 5R21AA027329-02
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** NANCY P BARNETT
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $192,969
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-25 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10023246

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10023246, Ecological assessment of social network contacts in drinking contexts: Peer proximity detection using wearable sensors (5R21AA027329-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10023246. Licensed CC0.

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