Prior studies have used Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) toefficiently collect daily data with automated results and feedback(Treadwell, 2006), yet few studies have examined theeffectiveness of PDAs with low- income pregnant women.

Participants

A sample of 100 English and Spanish-speaking, low-income pregnant women (71%Latina; mean age = 27±6 years; 86% with an annual income less than $25,000) with nomajor medical problems were recruited to participate in the study.

Procedures

Our sample was comprised of 100 low-income women (71% Latina; 86% with an annualincome less $25,000) .Women used PDAs and completed salivary cortisol collectionchecklists to record the date and times of each saliva collection (7 total collections).

MeasuresSalivary Cortisol Collection Checklist - A cortisol log where participants manuallyrecorded the date and times of cortisol collection at 7 different time points throughout the day (i.e., waking, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm)

Personal Digital Assistants ( PDAs) - A hand held electronic device used immediately after the participant completed each saliva collection. The participants had to collect seven times in one day; therefore there were a total of seven questionnaires each with two questions that were programmed onto the PDA. The first question asked “Did you just complete a saliva collection?” the participant would answer either yes or no. The second question asked “Which saliva collection did you just complete?”

Prenatal Anxiety Scale - A 10-item scale assessing the frequency with which the participant felt worried or concerned about their health, their baby’s health, labor and delivery, and caring for a baby.

The effective usage of personal digital assistants in relation to salivarycortisol collection checklist on low-income pregnant women

Yvette Melgoza B.A.1 , Angelica Mondragon B.A.1, Menchie Caliboso B.M. 1, and Guido G. Urizar Jr., Ph.D.1

1 California State University, Long Beach

The purpose of the study was to determine whether anxiety level, ethnicity, and education influence women’s accuracy at reporting cortisol collection using PDAs in relation to a salivary cortisol collectionchecklist.

Introduction

For further information regarding this research pleasecontact:

Yvette Melgoza

Research Assistant

melgoza.yvette@gmail.com

Angelica Mondragon

Research Assistant

mondragona26@gmail.com

Funding Source: This research was supported by NICHD SCOREAward Grant #SC2 HD068878

For more information on this and other relatedprojects visit: www.csulb.edu/~gurizar/index.htm.

Pearson Correlations - were conducted to determine the relationship between PDArecords and the salivary cortisol collection checklist at waking, 30 minutes, 45 minutes,60 minutes, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm.

Reliability Analyses - were conducted to measure the internal consistencies betweenPDA records and Salivary Cortisol Collection Checklist at waking, 30 minutes, 45minutes, 60 minutes, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm.

Fisher- Bonett Tests - were conducted to compare the reliability between PDA recordsand salivary collection checklist within groups ( anxiety level, ethnicity, and education).

“Did you justcomplete a salivacollection?”

“Which salivacollection did youjust complete?”

Pearson correlation analyses showed PDA records and salivary cortisolcollection checklist were significantly correlated at waking, r = .817, p < .001; 30-minute, r = .934, p < .001; 45- minute, r = .876, p < .001; 60-minute r =.854, p < .001; and 8pm, r = .307, p < .05, collections. There were no significantcorrelations between PDA records and salivary cortisol collection checklist at12pm, r= .227, p > .05 (α= .191) and 4pm, r= .240, p > .05(α= .168) collections.

Fisher- Bonett Tests showed no significance when comparing the reliabilitybetween PDA records and salivary cortisol collection checklist within groups (i.e.,anxiety level, ethnicity, and education) at 12pm and 4pm.

Figure 1

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

0 Waking 30mins 45mins 60mins

Salivary

Collections

12pm 4pm 8pm

Cro

nb

ach

-α-V

alu

es

Reliability between PDA Records and Salivary Cortisol Collection Checklist

Figure 2.Fisher-Bonett Test: Anxiety Level

Figure 4. Fisher-Bonett Test: Ethnicity

Figure 3.Fisher Bonett Test: Education

These results indicate that anxiety level, ethnicity, and education arenot adequate predictors for determining women’s accuracy atreporting cortisol collection using PDAs and salivary cortisol collectionchecklist, particularly among pregnant, low-income women. Futureresearch should focus on developing a device that can accuratelyrecord the date and times a cortisol sample is collected, which mayprovide highly reliable results.

High

Anxiety

Low

Anxiety

Fisher-

Bonett

Test

12pm α = .433 α = .019 p = 0.15

4pm α = .356 α = .038 p = 0.23

Latina African

American

Fisher-

Bonett

Test

12pm α = .258 α = -.182 p = 0.45

4pm α = .120 α = -.436 p = 0.68

Some

college

or more

High

school

or less

Fisher-

Bonett

Test

12pm α = -.026 α = .285 p = 0.29

4pm α = .351 α = .136 p = 0.30

Study Aim

Analyses

Method Results

Conclusion

Contact Information and Acknowledgments