Here at Evidation, we’ve been identifying opportunities to contribute to COVID research. THe Evidation app is a product of Evidation Health, and has a community of over 3 million and members all around the United States. With an engaged research population representing a variety of zip codes and demographics, we’re uniquely positioned to help researchers and organizations conduct meaningful research about the pandemic.

On June 4th, Evidation Health announced a new effort to develop an early warning algorithm to detect symptoms of COVID-19 and to understand susceptibility to infection, funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Many infected individuals are asymptomatic but still able to spread the virus, making efforts to prevent and slow transmission of COVID-19 difficult,” said Luca Foschini, Ph.D., Evidation’s co-founder and chief data scientist. “This initiative will use novel behavioral and physiological data to more effectively identify when and where people may contract COVID-19, and can potentially enable real-time interventions to limit spread and monitor outcomes.”

The analysis, performed in collaboration with non-profit 4YouandMe, will use de-identified data generated by self-reporting and wearable devices to track symptoms of COVID-19 in those at particularly high risk, including health care workers and other first responders, in order to better understand susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. One potential outcome of this work is an early warning algorithm to help individuals better understand and monitor their respiratory disease symptoms and take precautions against their spread.

“The ability to self-monitor and be informed of health status will empower Americans in their decisions to help slow the spread of this pandemic and improve health outcomes for people with COVID-19,” said BARDA Acting Director, Gary Disbrow, Ph.D. “This pilot study is not only an early step in demonstrating the utility of models developed using person-generated health data but also may provide data to better understand the varied symptoms of COVID-19.”

This program follows Evidation’s work with BARDA to monitor individuals for respiratory infections, such as influenza. Evidation’s existing research on influenza utilizes person-generated health data and population-based models with the goal of improving real-time respiratory infection monitoring at the individual and population level. BARDA is contributing a $720,000 award as part of BARDA’s COVID-19 Rapidly Deployable Capabilities program to identify and pilot near-term innovative solutions for COVID-19. Support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is from the $250 million the foundation has committed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

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We’ve been continuing to monitor sentiment in the community around the coronavirus through an Evidation Survey called COVID Pulse. Since kicking off the survey on March 12th right after the coronavirus was declared a pandemic, we’ve been sending out a weekly survey to our members.

We wanted to quantify participation and interest and share some of the latest trends from our most recent surveys. After we released the first survey, we received over 120,000+ responses in five days from over 20,000 United States zip codes. The highest percentage of responses came from the age groups in the range of 30–39, followed by the 18–29 age range, and lastly, the 40–49 range. Though, we did see representation from members ages 18–80+! We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of members who have continued to check in week over week to share their sentiment surrounding coronavirus. In fact, 11% of survey respondents have completed all five COVID Pulse Surveys to date and 22%+ completed four out of five COVID Pulse Surveys.

Most recently, we saw that over 85% of respondents said that if social distancing and stay at home orders were lifted today, they would know what to do to reduce chances of contracting the coronavirus. We also saw that members would continue to take the necessary precautions even if social distancing guidelines and stay at home orders were lifted. Over 60% would continue to stay at home and maintain social distancing behaviors. Additionally, nearly 70% said they would continue to start to wear protective equipment (for example a face mask) in public settings. For those who responded in locations where shelter in place has been lifted, only ~25% of respondents said that they were attending small social events.

Through this challenging time, we were also inspired by our members who responded to many questions with great empathy and creativity as they have adapted to new routines. In fact, when asked about their concerns if they were to be diagnosed, 75% of respondents expressed concern over getting others sick in their worries. This fear was followed by 60% of respondents expressing their worry over the physical discomforts of getting sick. Regarding ways to minimize changes to physical and mental health, we’ve seen an uptick in individuals sharing the importance of maintaining whatever routines possible, avoiding or taking breaks from the news, and a continued connection through video chats with friends and family. In fact, maintaining connection through social media scored high for Evidation Members as a method to socialize with others. Both last week and this week, 70% of respondents said they used social media to socialize with other people.

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We know a big part of your Evidation experience is connecting apps and wearables to your account. To date, there are 15+ apps that you can connect to Evidation to track different activities that you take. For a reminder of which apps are available and where you can connect these apps to your experience, check out the Connect Apps page here.

We’re pleased today to share that the Oura Ring is now available to connect to Evidation. To connect your OURA ring and app, please follow these directions below:

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1. Log into the Evidation app or website > middle tab (apps section)

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2. Connect > Oura > Log in to OURA account

Note: it may take a few minutes to sync. If the app shows ‘not yet synced’

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Please go back to the middle tab and click down to refresh the app. If all dates did not retroactively sync, we recommend to disconnect the app from Evidation and reconnect.

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Learn What a Behaviorgram Is and How It Works

We have a talented team of data scientists and researchers focused on providing individuals the opportunity to participate in cutting edge research. When our members participate in research, the activity data that they consent for use in the research helps our team study a number of health behaviors — everything from how to measure chronic pain to better understanding the individual migraine experience.

Analyzing and contextualizing the behaviors of thousands of participants with millions of data points is not an easy task. Over the years, this analysis lead to the creation of something that we have internally named “behaviorgram”. The behaviorgram of a person is a collection of their data streams over the course of some time. A behaviorgram can be quite simple and consist of only a few data streams from a single device (such as heart rate and steps from an activity tracker) or it can be quite large and include multiple data streams from multiple sources. A behaviorgram can be visualized much like an ECG, and below, we provide a glimpse as to what this visual may look like.

In our studies, we may start with activity data from a Fitbit or Apple Watch and then layer on additional data such as survey responses (e.g., mood or feelings during the day) and contextual information (e.g., weather, air quality, and the time of the day). Dense behaviorgrams give us richer pictures of someone’s behavior over time. As a reference, the behaviorgrams we created for the research on Alzheimer’s disease we did with Eli Lilly and Apple in August contained dozens of data streams and included steps counts, walking pace, sleep depth, workout sessions, and many others.

Behaviorgrams help us put data into context and extract additional insights from it. For example, we can more easily analyze how heart rate changes when people are in a workout session, or the effect that talking on the phone has on walking pace. It also allows us to derive new data channels from the existing ones. For instance, while MyFitnessPal already reports how many grams of protein and calories are eaten, we often find it useful to layer in a channel that represents the percentage of calories that came from protein. Similarly, we often add a new data stream that represents heart rate during periods of inactivity (i.e., no steps).

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What would actually help you visualize a behaviorgram? A picture of course! We wanted to illustrate that there are small moments throughout your daily life that can have a significant impact on your health, and we were fortunate enough to get consent to share one of our colleague’s visual health journey via the various apps they have connected on Evidation. Looking at their data from the last 6 months, we tracked down a few key dates where we noticed specific behavior changes and asked them to add labels to the behaviorgram on what happened in their life on those days. Sure enough — in a week with less sleep, we uncovered they were abroad, working until late to match California time and then having troubles falling asleep due to jet lag and an uncooperative baby. You can see other activity trends like sightseeing with friends in Singapore and New York on high steps count days, frequent awakenings in sleep during a night spent on an international flight, and a spike in logged calories when they had leftover sweets for breakfast. You can also see that they were able to sleep longer when the baby was away with the grandmother. We got a good laugh out of the observation that the company offsite was a high fat/protein-heavy day!

Based on weather data, the highest precipitation day is low in activity! Though some of our team is based in sunny locations, it highlights that weather does impact our activity. Related, given the air quality impact that the Wildfires had in California this year, you can see that during the time of the fires 11/25 to 12/14, they did not spend much time outside and took some time off from exercising (with the exception of their time in New York!)

Keep an eye out for more references to behaviorgrams from us! Our hope is that they’ll begin to become a tool by which you contextualize different actions that you take. We also know that big life changes can impact your habits and health. That’s why we’re planning on sharing some personal stories from our team on the journey to being a new parent and its impact on health routine. We also want to capture events like life with a newborn to highlight trends that our specific team members are experiencing to show activity patterns during the first few months of these very significant milestones.

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We’re back to share more about the growing community of Evidation Members. No matter where you are in your health journey, we want to commend you for taking steps to become a better version of you. Over the last year, we’ve asked members to share their stories with us. Since then, we’ve received more than 160,000 stories! Here’s a look at some of the many stories members have shared — hopefully one of them will help inspire you as they’ve inspired us.

Whether you’re looking for a source of motivation, a community to learn from, or are here for a few extra bucks, we’re happy to be a part of your journey! Here’s another look at some of your fellow Evidation Members and their stories:

“A friend told me about Evidation which I’ve been using for quite a while. It gives me credit for my daily exercise, weigh-ins and tracking my food which I do daily. It helps keep me in the zone and best of all has paid me for my efforts! What’s better than that? I just had a Grand Opening in Oceanside, NY for my business, Restorative Wellness and Weight Loss. I plan to share this app with all my clients. What a great motivator!” — (Wendy C., New York)

“I have been a part of a research study on breakthrough pain through Evidation, and it’s really helped me to be more aware of my body and what kind of triggers are causing my pain. It has also caused me to look into other ways of relieving my pain, such as yoga and deep stretching, and to gain some muscular structure back that I had lost before.” — (Stacy M., Tennessee)

“I have been using Evidation to help me stay on top of my health and fitness. I have a busy schedule and it’s hard to stay on top of things. In 2016, I was 227 lbs, very depressed and unhappy. After making several lifestyle changes, I have gotten down to 166lbs and maintained that since 2018. Evidation helps me stay on top of why health by keeping me accountable.” — (Nicole M., California)

“Through the research projects and daily accountability, Evidation has supported my increased health outcomes. By participating in a chronic pain study, daily loggings have helped my provider and I to track some of the triggers that have affected my pain levels. Additionally, being accountable to the overall app gives me motivation to get outside my comfort zone and get out and move even when I am not physically feeling like it.” — (Karen K., Colorado)

“Using Evidation really helped me during a time of my life when I was down. We moved from my hometown and I was so sad, depressed, and motivated. I was in a funk, I felt lost, and did not want to leave my house. No friends or close family. When I started my health journey I got out of the house to attend group exercise and made friends. Not only did I have an online community cheering me on, I stepped out of my comfort zone again and felt like a better version of myself. Thanks for keeping me accountable!” — (Christina W., Texas)

“I have been using the Evidation App for a few years now and I love how I build points for demonstrating regular and consistent healthy practices. As a Tour Director and Travel Professional, it’s great to know that regardless of the activity or destination I may be in there is still an app that will incentivize me to staying fit. Through the use of this app, I have been able to climb the Great Wall of China, hike Machu Picchu, Swim between Thailand islands, and walk on African Safaris. Thank you Evidation for making this app user friendly, simple, and personable.” — (Justin C., Arizona)

“I am 64 years old. I want to be a future fun Grandpa and with the support of Evidation, I will be able physically as well as emotionally to prepare for my next adventure. This is why I hike and walked so much.” — (Rusty L., Indiana)

“The Evidation App has allowed me to accurately track certain aspects of my health and fitness activities, which allows me to create better habits. Seeing my progress and stats turn into points both extrinsically and intrinsically rewards me. This part of the app, as well as reading interesting health studies has huge, positive impacts for future health gains.” — (Kathleen E., Florida)

“From looking at my lifestyle, my health wasn’t what I need it to be. Evidation helps me create a goal for me to challenge myself to get active and to be more involved with the local area. I have been going out for walks, participate in a gym, and being more aware of the foods I eat. With a group of friends, it becomes a fun activity! In a way, I hope my choice in exercise also inspire others to participate in fitness.” — (Hanh N., Arkansas)

“I have been using Evidation for a while now, and the motivation and support I get from this app is unparalleled! It’s a constant reminder to get up and get moving, practice my yoga and meditation, and be that vibrant example of a holistic, balanced life for my daughter. The surveys and app functionality are a fun touch, too!” — (Meggie C., Idaho)

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You use Evidation to conveniently monitor progress toward personal health goals. By making datasets available to scientists, Evidation also is helping uncover insights to benefit people with multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and other conditions. So, it’s important for you and researchers alike to know that Evidation's quality of life measures stand up.

Prior research conducted with activity trackers has shown that some behaviors (such as inconsistent sleep patterns) are associated with lower levels of physical and mental well-being. While this seems logical, we wanted to see if data collected via Evidation’s unobtrusive, hands-free methods have the same correlations.

Our scientists analyzed activity and sleep metrics from more than 600 Evidation Members using a global health assessment tool to assign scores for physical and mental health measures. (Controls included age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, and medical markers of anxiety and depression.) The 600 members involved in this analysis included members who had self reported having anxiety and depression and were a part of the Mental Health Study.

In this analysis of activity and sleep metrics, here’s what our researchers found:

• Two-thirds of members who participated in this study had scores above the median level for both physical and mental health. One-third scored below the median.
• Those with higher scores were more physically active, walking an average of 1,674 more steps and burning 100 more calories daily than those with scores below the median level.
• Individuals with lower scores demonstrated less consistent sleep than those with scores above the median.

The conclusion? Passive apps where most information is collected automatically can accurately characterize key quality of life metrics — good news for you and for scientists.

An ongoing, year-long study continues to examine a subset of member activity and sleep data, plus self-reported quality of life, mental health, and use of health care resources. Stay tuned as we share more on these findings, plus future research participation opportunities.

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At Evidation, we’re passionate about helping everyone reach their individual health goals. That could be in the form of getting paid for doing health-related activities as a little extra motivation, or by providing you with easy ways to understand your personal health. We also help to connect you with ways to contribute to cutting-edge research, where you can help to improve health for everyone. We wanted to share 5 of Achievement’s values that are important in our mission of helping everyone to participate in better health outcomes.

We meet you where you’re at

We understand that everyone’s health goals and needs are not the same; that’s why we individualize your experience based on what you tell us is relevant to you. You can also choose to earn points for everything from step tracking, sleep tracking, continuous glucose monitoring, meditation and more. We are here to support your health goals, regardless of where you’re at in your personal health journey, like Sarai (a long time Achiever) explains:

“I have Fibromyalgia and chronic Myositis …. Life can become difficult and overbearing … Many, like me, are bound to a wheelchair 50% or more of the time. Can you imagine how unmotivated you can feel to get out of bed, let alone workout!? But as it stands, the best treatment for this condition, is to KEEP MOVING. Achievement provides that imaginary friend. One who will not give you unwanted advice, or invite you to things you cannot go to. It provides that gentle motivation, for you to set your own goals. Not that of your doctor, friend, or family member. But YOURS. You know your body best …. With Achievement I can keep track of my progress…” -Sarai H.

When you get started with Evidation, we encourage you to take the time to fill out your Health Survey so that we can provide you with study invitations, and other opportunities that are relevant to you.

You are in full control of your data

Evidation provides a place for you to view your data from your connected apps in one place. By centralizing this information, we can help you to better understand your health and ultimately achieve your health goals.

It’s entirely up to you to choose what you want to share and earn points for on Evidation. Whether you’re interested in steps, exercise, sleep, nutrition, meditation or something else, you can choose what activities will be shared.

This member shares how they’ve used multiple apps on Evidation to track their health:

“I’ve been a member of Evidation for a while and it has motivated me to take control of my health by syncing all of my apps into one place and then rewarding me for it. This has been vital for me recently because my health has taken a toll lately and I’ve needed to really step up my game and take control of what I can in my personal health, Evidation has made that simple.” — Isis F.

You can access and download all of your Evidation data in one place at any time, giving you more insight into your health. You can change your mind about what activities you want to track at any time. We provide you with control over what data you share with us and we do not sell your data to third parties without your clear consent. Your health data is yours.

We are transparent

We believe that it is important to always be clear and transparent with our members about how their data is used. We may use your anonymized data for our own internal research to advance the forefront of healthcare and share back insightful health trends and tips, such as whether or not air quality can affect activity patterns or how the World Series affected sleep patterns. Tristan shares why he chooses to share his data with Evidation:

“…Evidation is exciting for me as I get to send data to [them] every single day. Data gathering is fulfilling for me, especially knowing it’ll be put to good use, so that inspires me to log my activities all the time” — Tristan R.

We also give you the choice to participate in research projects related to your health interests, goals or conditions. The specific information you will be asked to share will be disclosed in the consent and/or disclosures for that particular project (each project may be different). Evidation Members have had the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking research around diabetes, mental health, and more.

We provide you the opportunity to give back to the causes you care about

It’s great to earn personal rewards for all of your health actions; however, many members also choose to use their rewards for a good cause. That’s why Evidation also provides the opportunity to donate your points to a health charity of your choice through Benevity when you reach 10,000 points. The points you earn for taking healthy actions can also go back to organizations that are working towards creating a healthier world. Elizabeth shares why she decided to donate her points:

“Evidation motivates me to exercise more since it adds points each time. It also motivates me to join support apps for my type 1 diabetes and read more research articles. When I hit 10,000 points I donated the $10 to JDRF International [Type 1 diabetes researching funding and advocacy] to help support the continuation of research to find a cure.” — Elizabeth P.

Your actions can impact many

At the individual level, we can take actions to control our health, but we believe that we can achieve and learn even more as a community. We’ve sent out offers to members with similar health conditions, allowing them to ask relevant questions they would like answered about health topics that matter to them, such as anxiety or diabetes.

You’ll also have the opportunity to qualify for and participate in cutting-edge research studies related to various conditions, for which you can earn additional points or money, and together we can contribute to and advance research that can help improve health for everyone. This Evidation Member shares how her participation in a study has helped in improving her health outcomes:

“I have been using Evidation for a few years now. I participated in the 1yr Cognitive Health Study that really helped me to know how to improve my cognitive health and protect my brain from damage due to diet and environment. It motivated me to start an exercise class for seniors … As of today we have 11 in the class…” — Janet A.

We’ve worked with a variety of research partners to conduct groundbreaking research and studies where members could participate and earn. Evidation members who participated in studies and research helped to advance research in conditions ranging from like asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, mental health, migraines, rheumatoid arthritis and more. The contributions made to these studies could impact millions in the future, and help to bring new understanding about these conditions. We think Jenny, a long time Evidation Member, sums it up best:

“…[Evidation] makes me feel good knowing that maybe one day my tracking could maybe help someone. I have depression and anxiety. If that helps even one person with this data collection I stand by it 100%.” — Jenny B.

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At Evidation, we're committed to putting our community first and to helping you reach your health goals no matter how big or small. We recently shared a survey out to our community. The feedback and responses we’ve been receiving from our work and research brings us comfort and assurance knowing that the Evidation app has made a positive impact on your lives. Our community of members is our driving force to create and learn new things that help you reach your health goals. Your stories have truly hit it home for us, and we love reading them.

We’re excited to continue to be part of your health journey and guide you in any step you need to keep achieving. Want to hear more about what our community of members feel? Meet the community and read their responses:

“I’ve been using Evidation for about 2 months now. I need to get back into exercising to earn more points. I like that it offers interesting articles to read and surveys. I enjoy Evidation because it will help me to reach my goals!” — (Emily D., Michigan)

“I have been using Evidation for a few years now. I participated in the 1yr Cognitive Health Study that really helped me to know how to improve my cognitive health and protect my brain from damage due to diet and environment. It motivated me to start an exercise class for seniors. This photo was last week. As of today we have 11 in the class. I am blessed!” — (Janet A., California)

“I have been using Evidation for probably close to 2 years now. I am hoping more people continue to use this so that data can be collected on activity, diet, weight, and sleep patterns and be studied to see the effects on health. This app has definitely made me track my weight closer and log my food more as well. I think this is a great app that may motivate people to make changes for a healthier lifestyle and better quality of life.” — (Ryan A., Florida)

“I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the participants in the [cognitive health] study. It was a great experience and has made me more aware of what I need to do to keep my memory healthy. It has taught me which foods are essential for mental health and the need for exercise.” — (Carol C., PA)

“I have been using Evidation since the beginning of the year and it has been an awesome tool to quantifying my activities each day. I am a marathon runner but Evidation has been awesome for seeing all of the activities aside from running. It also just runs in the background of my daily life and will eventually earn me some money. I have been managing my own blog for my running for the past year and Evidation is changing the game for me.” — (Amanda R., South Carolina)

“I’ve been using Evidation now for about a month and a half and it’s amazing that I can earn money for being active! I challenge myself everyday to walk more and more to earn even more points then I did the day before. Cheers to being healthy! :)” — (Madison S., Indiana)

“It has been difficult to find a health routine to fit my third shift schedule. Working from midnight to 8 am sometimes forces you to eat bad food to stay awake! Fitbit and Evidation keep me accountable. I am now on a workout routine that gives me energy to put my all into work and my relationships outside of work.” — (Lauren B., Ohio)

“Evidation has been great in motivating me to get to a better place. Seeing the points I accumulate only makes me want to do more! I signed up as a means to better my health due to having high blood pressure since the age of 3. About two years ago, I decided to take up running to help do my part. Since then I have been getting faster, going farther, and feeling better than I ever have!” — (Eddy R., Pennsylvania)

“Having an app pay me to work out definitely has given me the motivation to join a gym and become a healthier happier person. I was also part of a migraine study which I hope my data is used to help someway in the future.” — (Katie N., MA)

Thanks again to all of our Evidation Members who have already shared their amazing stories. We’d love to hear from more of you! What does Evidation mean to you? What do you want to achieve? How can we help get you there? And let’s not forget, you can be a part of our Evidation community! Check out some of their awesome smiles below.

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According to 2015 Pew Research, “one in three cell phone owners have used their phone to look for health information.” Four years ago, we started Evidation to help everyone understand their personal health, take control of their health journey, and help contribute to improving the health of everyone. Here are the top three reasons why tracking your health with Evidation will help you be part of something just a little bit bigger than yourself this holiday season.

1. Actively participate in your health

With the over 30+ apps that you can connect to Evidation, we’re able to look at patterns of activity levels and do a deep dive into tracking health and wellness. We’ve published research around how your social engagements can impact activity levels. Lastly, we’ve given our community a chance to learn from each other, asking communities of individuals what questions they have for one another and sharing back the results.

2. Learn about health and research through insights

With a community of over a million, we’re constantly looking for opportunities to highlight and share relevant research tailored to you. We’ve also done deep dives on seasonal trends over the last year, including a step analysis around the Pokemon Go phenomenon, the difference between men and women during Back to School, and a look across the United States at Halloween calorie count.

3. Participate in ground-breaking research to advance the health of everyone

We’re focused on building a product that makes your interactions with health unified. We believe that health is much more than a visit to the doctor. It’s a constant effort every day of how to track/monitor healthy activities — whether it be steps taken, heart rate monitored, sleep tracked, or even meditation sessions executed. Sign up for Evidation today and starting taking health-related actions, including contributing to cutting-edge clinical studies that are tailored to your specific health conditions.