A Two-Study Qualitative Exploration of Ecological Momentary Assessment as a Tool for Media,Health Behavior Measurement

Abstract

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA), a method that allows for data collection in real-time, may offer benefits for communication research. We conducted two EMA studies on different topics (i.e., alcohol and sexual content in media and social media use, emotions, and tanning) in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and completed in-depth interviews (N = 19 and N = 16) following each study. Participants were open to the method and described potential changes in awareness and behavior, which could contribute to changes in data collected and potentially serve as an unintentional intervention. Researchers should consider the intent of their research and possible unintended effects of the questions posed.

Keywords

ecological momentary assessment ecological momentary intervention measurement health communication media use

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