Automated Daily Phone Surveys in Older Adults: Feasibility Study in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
SJ, K., C, M., SJ, A., GD, A., L, H., NB, A., M, W., & KN, K. (2026). Automated Daily Phone Surveys in Older Adults: Feasibility Study in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.. JMIR public health and surveillance. https://doi.org/10.2196/86333
SJ K, C M, SJ A, GD A, L H, NB A, et al. Automated Daily Phone Surveys in Older Adults: Feasibility Study in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.. JMIR public health and surveillance. 2026; doi: 10.2196/86333
SJ K, C M, SJ A, et al. Automated Daily Phone Surveys in Older Adults: Feasibility Study in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.[J]. JMIR public health and surveillance. 2026. DOI: 10.2196/86333.
@article{sj2026,
author = {Kim SJ and McGowan C and Alexandria SJ and Achepohl GD and Hoffer L and Allen NB and Wong M and Kershaw KN},
title = {Automated Daily Phone Surveys in Older Adults: Feasibility Study in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.},
journal = {JMIR public health and surveillance},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.2196/86333},
note = {PMID: 42462163},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Kim SJ AU - McGowan C AU - Alexandria SJ AU - Achepohl GD AU - Hoffer L AU - Allen NB AU - Wong M AU - Kershaw KN TI - Automated Daily Phone Surveys in Older Adults: Feasibility Study in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. T2 - JMIR public health and surveillance PY - 2026 DO - 10.2196/86333 AN - PMID:42462163 ER -
BACKGROUND: An ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a methodological framework designed to capture real-time data in a participant's natural environment, yet its feasibility in older adults, particularly in a large, multisite study, remains underexplored. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the feasibility of implementing automated daily phone surveys in a large, geographically diverse cohort of older adults. METHODS: A total of 1283 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) were enrolled across 6 US field sites. Participants were scheduled to receive 1 automated phone survey per day for 7 consecutive days following a clinic visit. Feasibility was assessed through a dual lens of participant engagement (survey adherence, phone survey duration, and cancellations) and administrative implementation (scheduling errors). RESULTS: Of the 1272 participants who received at least 1 of the 7 phone surveys, high adherence was observed, with 81.84% (1041/1272) completing 5 to 7 surveys. Age was the only demographic characteristic significantly associated with completion (P=.002), as younger participants demonstrated higher adherence. While the median survey duration was 3 (IQR 2-4) minutes, 26.84% (2371/8835) of surveys lasted 5 minutes or longer. However, adherence remained remarkably robust even among participants experiencing these extended durations. Participant-initiated cancellations during the 7-day monitoring period were rare, occurring among 21 of 1272 (1.65%) participants who began monitoring. Administrative scheduling errors were also uncommon, accounting for 37 of the 8835 (0.42%) total scheduled surveys not being delivered. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the feasibility of automated daily phone surveys for collecting repeated real-world data in large, multisite studies of older adults. Future studies should incorporate standardized participant feedback to identify barriers to engagement and support more inclusive, participant-centered adaptations of automated phone-based EMA protocols.