The below blog post has been written by the research team, and details of how to participate in the research can be found at the bottom of this post. Verity have sighted the ethics approval granted for the recruitment of this study.
This research study at the University of Wolverhampton and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire sets to explore the engagement and impact of internet-enabled technologies and devices for lifestyle management and self-care of PCOS symptoms. The study aims to investigate whether individuals with PCOS living in the UK are using the Internet of Things (IoT) to manage their symptoms, and whether using the IoT to self-manage PCOS symptoms has any relationship to their health behaviours which are demonstrated to be effective at improving overall health and wellbeing.
Participants will be asked to complete a brief online survey anonymously, sharing their PCOS-related health and quality of life, lifestyle management, self-care routines, and engagement with internet-enabled technologies. If you are interested in participating, or would like more information, please use this link https://forms.office.com/e/YGHVgYcfze to access the online platform hosting all the details, including the participation information sheet, the consent form, and the PCOS questionnaires.
Questionnaires used in this study include a bespoke demographics questionnaire, quality of life (PCOSQOL), and IoT usage (DTUQ-D, adapted for PCOS). Lifestyle aspects will be assessed using questions about alcohol and tobacco consumption, self-care activities, and complementary medicine usage. Short questionnaires validated for physical activity (IPAQ-SF), disordered eating (EDE-Q7), sleep (ISI), and mental well-being (SWEMWBS) have also been used.
The results will inform the co-design of an intervention using IoT technologies to support physical activity, promote attainable lifestyle changes, and consequently improve health outcomes for women with PCOS in the UK.
Verity - The PCOS charity 