Apple’s Research App has launched three new studies in partnership with leading academic and research institutions namely – the Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Heart and Movement Study, and the Apple Hearing Study. Apple users can now participate and contribute to new medical research with the iPhone and Apple Watch.
The Research App gives users a streamlined enrolment process and engaging tasks in straightforward and secure app. Users will provide useful data through the iPhone and Apple Watch – movement, heart rate and noise levels — captured during everyday activities, from taking a walk to attending a concert. The Research App will only share this data with chosen studies with consent from the user along with finer control in the type of data shared with each study.
The first study, called the Apple Women’s Health Study is a research study aimed at better understanding menstrual cycles and how they relate to women’s health. The Apple Women’s Health Study is the first long-term study of this scale and scope; it aims to advance the understanding of menstrual cycles and their relationship to various health conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), infertility, osteoporosis and menopausal transition.
The second study, called the Apple Heart and Movement Study, will take measurements of the quality and quantity of a person’s movement, which can provide more information into the users current and future health status. The Apple Heart and Movement Study is a broad study of factors that affect heart health and potentially cause deterioration in mobility or overall well-being, in an effort to promote healthy movement and improved cardiovascular health.
The last study is called the Apple Hearing Study, which aims to understand the impact of sound exposure on hearing health and stress levels over time. The Apple Hearing Study will collect headphone usage and environmental sound exposure data through iPhone and the Noise app on Apple Watch, in order to explore how both can impact hearing over time. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups within the study to assess if receiving Health app notifications when loud sound exposure is detected can motivate users to modify their listening behaviors.
These studies will be available to Apple customers in the US and the Apple Research App can be installed through the App Store.
Commenting on the launch of these studies, Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer said:
Today marks an important moment as we embark on research initiatives that may offer incredible learnings in areas long sought after by the medical community. Participants on the Research app have the opportunity to make a tremendous impact that could lead to new discoveries and help millions lead healthier lives.