Table 2. Summary of phase I and phase II results.
| Parameter | Phase I (June 2021 to July 2022) | Phase II (July 2022 to May 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Participants enrolled, n | 163 | 44 |
| Participants contributing location data, n | 162 | 42 |
| Average number of location points/participant, median (IQR) | 67,398 ( 29,771‐168961) | 47,510 (12,252‐172,613) |
| Range of location points/participant | 389‐670,384 | 53‐950,597 |
| Percentage of location points per week (out of 336 half-hour intervals), mean (SD) | 28.3 (15.6) | 29.0 (26.6) |
| Introduction of AHRIa connector (reverse billing app) | Implemented midway | Implemented at the start of the phase |
| Phone replacements | 77 phones replaced due to technical issues | 2 participants’ phones were incompatible, with 4 reporting broken/lost phones |
| Gamification (Wheel of Fortune) impact | N/Ab | Increased probability of receiving location data by 77.6% if the participant played the game, versus 27.5% if they did not play and associated with +15.7% more data received in a per day compared to not playing (P=.007) |
| Challenges faced | Aging hardware, data bundle exhaustion, app termination | Some phone compatibility issues, but fewer technical problems overall |
| Engagement strategy | Relied on troubleshooting and participant support | Gamification introduced to enhance engagement and data collection |
a
AHRI: Africa Health Research Institute.
b
not applicable.