Scoping the Need for a Tailored mHealth App to Improve Health and Well-being Behavioral Transformation in the Police: Exploring the Views of UK Police Workers via Web-Based Surveys and Client Meetings (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Police officers often work long, unsocial hours in a highly pressurised environment and may experience difficulties when managing their health and wellbeing. Those working in the police face different health issues in comparison to the general public; their job can be highly stressful and feature unusual working hours and multiple shift patterns. A UK police force requested help investigating technologies which could be used to improve health and wellbeing; researching how these technologies could be used to measure and track health behaviour change. OBJECTIVE Research aims were focused on exploring current police officer attitudes to health and wellbeing technology and their use of existing health-related technology, conducted via an online survey for police officers and client meetings. Highlighting existing practice, gathering views about how technology could be used and opinions on what specific areas of health officers would like to see covered in a tailored mobile technological solution. This information would be used as a starting point for future prototyping of a targeted application that aimed to help solve issues that existing technology did not effectively cover. METHODS An online survey was completed by (n=213) police officers during the first period of UK lockdown. The survey was designed to find out what solutions the participants used outside of those supplied by their employer, as well as identifying issues or problems and what they would like a hypothetical application to focus on. Due to challenges arising from COVID-19 restrictions - in terms of logistics and operational pressures on the commissioning force – additional requirements data was captured through client meetings; including discussions concerning previous attempted solutions and those currently in place. A thematic analysis was undertaken to identify key themes. RESULTS Key challenges and opportunities of designing and delivering an integrated digital solution and maintaining user engagement were highlighted. Four key themes were identified for application coverage. These were the four areas of health and wellbeing that participants felt they would benefit from the most. In order of importance these were Activity, Food and Diet, Sleep, and Fluid Intake. CONCLUSIONS Research data suggests there is a requirement for a mobile application which would provide an easily accessible platform for police officers to utilise regardless of current location. One which could provide guidelines on diet, lifestyle habits and behaviour to help the user make informed decisions to assist in personalised behaviour change. Notably one which also aligns effectively with the irregular shift patterns of its users.