# A photoplethysmography sensor-based personalized feedback intervention for heavy-drinking young adults targeting heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and sleep

> **NIH NIH R21** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $174,563

## Abstract

Abstract
Young adults report the highest rates of heavy drinking and are a priority population for alcohol prevention and
intervention efforts. Alcohol strategies that leverage their other health concerns and utilize technology may
offer an innovative solution. Taking this approach, we conducted the first preliminary test of a mobile sleep
intervention to engage heavy-drinking young adults in treatment and showed promising effects on drinking.
Data from this pilot study and our current follow-up study (R34AA026021) have generated new hypotheses
and directions for refinement of this mobile intervention. Specifically, heavy-drinking young adults want
feedback about their health status and how they can improve it by reducing their drinking and improving their
sleep. Thus, to optimize the effectiveness of personalized alcohol feedback for young adults, we propose to
embed it within a more comprehensive health feedback program and connect alcohol use not only to sleep but
also to robust, non-invasive health biomarkers – resting heart rate (RHR) and heart rate variability (HRV), with
the latter particularly affected by heavy alcohol use and potentially by poor sleep. In addition, we will
incorporate new sensor technology that utilizes photoplethysmography (PPG) to obtain daily, passive collection
of HRV, RHR, and sleep that can be connected to mobile apps to provide feedback based on these data. In
one preliminary study of a PPG sensor and integrated mobile app, users who noted a link between their
alcohol use and sleep/health data were motivated to reduce their drinking. Therefore, PPG technology
warrants further study for alcohol prevention and early intervention. The current proposal will conduct the first
controlled test of a feedback/brief advice intervention targeting HRV, RHR, and sleep via PPG sensors and
electronic daily diaries for heavy-drinking young adults and will leverage the benefits of a marketed PPG
sensor and mobile app, OURATM. We will randomize subjects to: (1) Assessment (n=30) or (2) Feedback
(n=30). All subjects will wear an OURA™ and complete daily electronic diaries for 6 weeks and attend follow-
ups at Weeks 6 and 10. Subjects in Assessment will only monitor their health/behaviors and will not receive
any health feedback or advice. Subjects in Feedback will monitor their health/behaviors and receive daily
health information from the OURA™ app as well as bi-weekly alcohol-related health feedback/advice that we
derive from the OURA™ and diary data: (1) summaries of alcohol use and the links between drinking and
OURA™ health biomarkers and (2) evidence-based brief alcohol and sleep advice tailored to this data. This
study will yield important preliminary data to support a larger investigation of this novel approach with heavy-
drinking young adults. Heavy-drinking young adults may be ideally suited for mobile health feedback
interventions that incorporate alcohol content given their preference for technology and infrequent alcoh...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10478176
- **Project number:** 5R21AA028886-02
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** LISA M FUCITO
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $174,563
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10478176

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10478176, A photoplethysmography sensor-based personalized feedback intervention for heavy-drinking young adults targeting heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and sleep (5R21AA028886-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10478176. Licensed CC0.

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