Research Article
Let Me Relax: Toward Automated Sedentary State Recognition and Ubiquitous Mental Wellness Solutions
@ARTICLE{10.4108/eai.14-10-2015.2261900, author={Vijay Rajanna and Folami Alamudun and Daniel Goldberg and Tracy Hammond}, title={Let Me Relax: Toward Automated Sedentary State Recognition and Ubiquitous Mental Wellness Solutions}, journal={EAI Endorsed Transactions on Ambient Systems}, volume={3}, number={11}, publisher={ACM}, journal_a={AMSYS}, year={2015}, month={12}, keywords={personal health assistant, sedentary state recognition, intervention techniques, relaxation, stress, anxiety, cognitive reappraisal, mental wellness, ubiquitous computing}, doi={10.4108/eai.14-10-2015.2261900} }- Vijay Rajanna
Folami Alamudun
Daniel Goldberg
Tracy Hammond
Year: 2015
Let Me Relax: Toward Automated Sedentary State Recognition and Ubiquitous Mental Wellness Solutions
AMSYS
EAI
DOI: 10.4108/eai.14-10-2015.2261900
Abstract
Advances in ubiquitous computing technology improve workplace productivity, reduce physical exertion, but ultimately result in a sedentary work style. Sedentary behavior is associated with an increased risk of stress, obesity, and other health complications. Let Me Relax is a fully automated sedentary-state recognition framework using a smartwatch and smartphone, which encourages mental wellness through interventions in the form of simple relaxation techniques. The system was evaluated through a comparative user study of 22 participants split into a test and a control group. An analysis of NASA Task Load Index pre- and post- study survey revealed that test subjects who followed relaxation methods, showed a trend of both increased activity as well as reduced mental stress. Reduced mental stress was found even in those test subjects that had increased inactivity. These results suggest that repeated interventions, driven by an intelligent activity recognition system, is an effective strategy for promoting healthy habits, which reduce stress, anxiety, and other health risks associated with sedentary workplaces.
Copyright © 2015 V. Rajanna et al., licensed to EAI. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unlimited use, distribution and reproduction in any medium so long as the original work is properly cited.
