Reducing face touching through haptic feedback: A treatment evaluation against fomite‐mediated self‐infection

Fomite‐mediated self‐infection via face touching is an understudied transmission pathway for infectious diseases. We evaluated the effect of computer‐mediated vibrotactile cues (presented through experimental bracelets located on one or both hands of the participant) on the frequency of face touchin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied behavior analysis 2023-06, Vol.56 (3), p.549-564
Main Authors: Virues‐Ortega, Javier, Pérez‐Bustamante Pereira, Agustín, Martin, Neil, Moeyaert, Mariola, Krause, Peter A., Tarifa‐Rodriguez, Aida, Trujillo, Carolina, Sivaraman, Maithri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
awareness training
computer‐mediated behavior modification
COVID‐19
face touching
Feedback
Fomites
Haptic Technology
Humans
Public Health
Touch
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Summary:Fomite‐mediated self‐infection via face touching is an understudied transmission pathway for infectious diseases. We evaluated the effect of computer‐mediated vibrotactile cues (presented through experimental bracelets located on one or both hands of the participant) on the frequency of face touching among eight healthy adults in the community. We conducted a treatment evaluation totaling over 25,000 min of video observation. The treatment was evaluated through a multiple‐treatment design and hierarchical linear modeling. The one‐bracelet intervention did not produce significantly lower levels of face touching across both hands, whereas the two‐bracelet intervention did result in significantly lower face touching. The effect increased over repeated presentations of the two‐bracelet intervention, with the second implementation producing, on average, 31 fewer face‐touching percentual points relative to baseline levels. Dependent on the dynamics of fomite‐mediated self‐infection via face touching, treatment effects could be of public health significance. The implications for research and practice are discussed.
ISSN:0021-8855
1938-3703
DOI:10.1002/jaba.996