Yuuki Nishiyama
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Participant Recruitment: Postpartum Women's Well-Being & Daily Life Study

Understanding how everyday behaviors relate to well-being after childbirth (For U.S. residents)

Overview

New mothers experience many changes in daily life after childbirth — in sleep, physical activity, routines, and smartphone use. This study aims to understand how these everyday behaviors relate to mental and physical well-being in the postpartum period. Using a study app installed on your own smartphone and, if available, your wearable device, we will collect activity data in the background alongside brief daily questionnaires. This study is conducted by the Nishiyama Laboratory at the Center for Spatial Information Science (CSIS), The University of Tokyo, in collaboration with the University of Washington.

Eligibility Requirements

You may be eligible if you meet all of the following criteria:

  • Currently residing in the United States (Washington State)
  • Age 20 or older
  • Own a smartphone (iOS or Android)
  • Currently raising an infant (preferably under 12 months old)
  • First-time mothers are prioritized

You may not be eligible if you are raising two or more children, or if your smartphone does not have enough storage space to install the study app.

Study Procedure

Data collection will last approximately 3 months (12 weeks). The entire setup process takes about 15–30 minutes.

  1. 1 Review the study information and provide informed consent via an online form
  2. 2 Install the data collection app on your smartphone and complete initial setup
  3. 3 The app automatically collects sensor data in the background
  4. 4 Complete brief daily questionnaires (morning and evening, approx. 3–5 minutes each)
  5. 5 Continue for the data collection period, then receive compensation

Data Collected

  • Motion sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope)
  • Location-related data (GPS, Wi-Fi, barometer)
  • Physical activity indicators (step counts, mobility types)
  • Sleep-related data (duration and quality)
  • Smartphone usage (calls, screen status, used apps)
  • Weather information
  • Available physiological data (heart rate, skin temperature)
  • Audio events: ambient noise level and infant crying time (raw audio is NOT stored)
  • Past step-count data (up to 2 years, via Apple Health / Google Fit)

Compensation

Compensation will be provided as an Amazon Gift Card, up to a maximum total of $300. You will receive $20 for each week in which you provide sufficient valid data (12 weeks × $20 = $240). For every 4 consecutive weeks of complete data, you will receive an additional $20 bonus (up to 3 bonuses = $60).

Privacy

Your name and other identifiable information will be stored separately from study data, labeled with a code. Access is restricted to authorized study team members. When we publish results, we will not use your name or any information that could directly identify you. This research has undergone ethics review at the University of Tokyo and the University of Washington.

Participation is entirely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time without penalty.

Contact

For inquiries about this study, please contact the research team. If you have been injured or otherwise harmed by participating, please also reach out.

postpartum-study@csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp