The Murdoch Children's Research Institute is trialling a Java-based mobile application that helps with early warning-sign detection and monitoring of adolescent depression.

The product -- developed by Object Consulting -- is believed to be the first mobile phone application used in healthcare field research in Australia. A focus group of 40 adolescents supplied with Nokia 6260 smart phones pre-loaded with the application is presently testing its effectiveness. A larger study -- involving 400 young people -- is scheduled for next year.

According to Dr Sophie Reid, Child and Adolescent Research psychologist at the Institute, depression and anxiety affects up to 30 percent of adolescents and is likely to become the number one disease in Australia by 2020.

"A critical factor in the difference between healthy adjustment and subsequent depression is how young people respond to distress. The application that Object has developed will play a crucial role in facilitating the research, collection and analysis of data to develop early warning software," she said.

The application -- which gathers information into how adolescents experience and respond to distress -- is expected to provide more comprehensive and accurate data than traditional research tools such as written questionnaires. It initially comprises a set of questionnaires that pop-up on the phone at random intervals three to four times during the day.

The respondent enters a PIN or ID code and answers a list of questions on the phone through the text function.

Questions being asked by the program range from the respondent's location and activity to their immediate company and events of the day. It also includes open-ended questions such as "Did something stressful happen today? How did you cope with it?"

The application uses the text function to store the answers within the phone until the end of the week in which the questionnaires are distributed. After this, the phone is taken to the Institute and the answers downloaded via Bluetooth or infrared.

"Approximately 83 percent of high school students currently have mobile phones, making the technology the ideal medium for research," Reid said.

The Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME)-based application has been developed for use on mobile information device profile (MIDP) 2.0 smart phones. Object has also delivered the back-end integration of data into a relational database for reporting and analysis. The mobile application is the first phase of the project being undertaken by the institute.

Palm Pilots have also previously been used as a research tool. However, the cost of the devices severely restricts the respondent sample size.

"Utilising mobile phones increases the number of research participants whilst lowering the total research cost," Reid said.

Reid told ZDNet Australia  that they ultimately want to be able to wirelessly retrieve the information from the respondents' phones without the need to take the mobile phones to the institute. She said they are currently looking at transmitting the information through SMS or through a similar method as when downloading Java games.

However, she said, most children are using pre-paid cards and therefore do not have WAP enabled mobile phones.

Reid said they need to develop the application further so that it becomes compatible with other mobile phone manufacturers in preparation for phase two of the research.

She said the rich mobile device applications can also be utilised for research and treatment in areas like alcohol dependence and diabetes in the "not-too-distant future".

The institute is looking at adding application functionality in future phases of the project which will allow the mobile phone's rich media and local storage features to capture voice responses to open-ended questions from research participants.

Automated code generation technology will also allow researchers to maintain the questionnaires without the need for a programmer's involvement.

The initial application development was completed in March 2005. Reid said the institute was collaborating with Harvard Medical Institute to secure future opportunities for the technology.

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