EVA APP

27 Oct, 2020

Reducing risks and preventing stress with the Happitech SDK

For pregnant women, both stress and smoking can potentially have serious effects on their developing child, as well as their own health and wellbeing. For the researchers at the Department of Development Psychology at Vrije Universiteit, finding a way to identify and understand these factors is a must as part of their ongoing studies.

With the need to find a way to monitor pregnant women efficiently and easily without the need for intensive or extensive methods, the researchers at Vrije Universiteit came up with a solution known as the Eva App. Made available for most smartphones, this app was developed to provide a sufficient record during pregnancy of the women involved in the study, including cravings for smoking and levels of stress.

With their app already in development, the research team didn’t yet have an efficient way to collect accurate vital sign data. With many other tools requiring peripherals or expensive additions for proper functionality, the Happitech SDK soon became the ideal solution to their needs and requirements for ongoing research.

One of the key benefits of Happitech for Eva App was that in-person appointments weren’t a requirement. Women taking part in the study could record vital heart-rate data wherever they happened to be, ensuring there were no gaps in Vrije Universiteit’s research even if expectant mothers couldn’t attend sessions or missed a group appointment.

Happitech SDK is also user-friendly, a key point for the Eva App team when it came to developing an application that works with pregnant women from a range of educational backgrounds and differing incomes. All Happitech requires is for the user to follow simple instructions on-screen on their own smartphone, making it accessible to all to take vital sign measurements, without additional equipment.

Imke, one of the members of the Eva App team, was clear about how partnering with Happitech has benefitted the project. “The Happitech team were interested in co-developing the solution together. We saw them as a technology partner instead of a technology vendor.”

“If all it takes is 15 minutes for our expectant mothers to utilise the full extent of the Eva App, they’re far more likely to do so – making it a regular habit and ensuring valuable data are being recorded at the same time thanks to the Happitech SDK”.

Happitech SDK was easy to integrate into an existing application, further adding to the benefit of the SDK over a more complex and less versatile monitoring system. Combined with its accuracy and ease-of-use, the Section of Clinical Development Psychology at the Vrije Universiteit has access to better, more consistent data. Exactly what’s needed to supplement their studies and provide evidence for how reducing stress and smoking can be beneficial to unborn children as well as to the mothers.

For more information on the EVA app and the work that the Section of Clinical Development Psychology at Vrije Universiteit are focusing on, visit Hetstresslab.nl or Stressenrookvrijzwanger.nl.