Per Pressemitteilung hat Apple heute nicht nur den Start seiner neuen Research-App (vorerst nur in den USA erhältlich) verkündet, sondern auch gleich noch deren erste Einsatzgebiete bekanntgegeben. Drei neue Studien mit der App kümmern sich um die Bereiche "Herz und Bewegung", "Frauengesundheit" und "Gehör". Über die App, die auch über eine Erweiterung für die Apple Watch besitzt. soll es den teilnehmenden Probanden einfacher gemacht werden, ihre Daten zu erfassen und an die Wissenschaftler zu übermitteln. Hierzu können sie sich direkt in der App für die jeweils mehrjährigen Studien registrieren. Apple schreibt in der Beschreibung der drei Studien:

Apple Women's Health Study: There is a great opportunity to better understand 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. Conducted in partnership with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the study will use iPhone and Apple Watch to collect study-specific data like cycle tracking information, and use monthly surveys to understand each participant’s unique menstrual experience. The study seeks to analyze the impact of certain behaviors and habits on a wide breadth of reproductive health topics.

Apple Heart and Movement Study: Measuring the quality and quantity of a person’s movement can provide insight into their 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. Users can participate by using the Research app on their iPhone and recording workouts on their Apple Watch Series 1 or later. With Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the American Heart Association, Apple is taking on this study to understand how certain mobility signals and details about heart rate and rhythm could serve as potential early warning signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), heart disease or declining mobility, to build new interventions that could help consumers lead longer, healthier and more active lives.

Apple Hearing Study: The impact of sound exposure on hearing health and stress levels over time is not well understood. 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. Alongside the University of Michigan, the study will also determine how long-term sound exposure can impact stress levels and cardiovascular health. 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. Data from the study will also be shared with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Make Listening Safe initiative to raise awareness of safe listening practices with the aim of reducing hearing loss.

Apple COO Jeff Williams wird zudem mit den Worten zitiert:

"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."

Apple hebt noch einmal hervor, dass die Research-App mit einem besonderen Fokus auf den Datenschutz konzipiert wurde. So werden die erfassten Daten verschlüsselt und ausschließlich mit den Wissenschaftlern der Studien geteilt, für die sich die Nutzer registrieren. Entsprechende Hinweise werden innerhalb der App auch noch einmal ausführlich auf einem Erklärbildschirm erläutert. Selbstverständlich werden die Daten auch niemals an Dritte weitergegeben oder verkauft.