Apple announced three new health studies Tuesday. It also unveiled a new research app.
Major New Health Studies
The three new studies focus on hearing, women’s health, and mobility. Apple will partner with major academic and research institutions on the projects. Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, commented:
With the Apple Heart Study, we found that we could positively impact medical research in ways that help patients today and that make contributions that will benefit future generations. Today’s announcement carries our commitment to health even further by engaging with participants on a larger scale than ever before.
- Women’s Health Study – This study is in partnership with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). It is a long term, large-scale study focussed on menstrual cycles and gynaecological conditions. It aims to inform screening and risk assessment of a number of female health issues. This includes polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), infertility, osteoporosis, pregnancy and menopausal transition.
- Heart and Movement Study – Apple is collaborating with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the American Heart Association to study how heart rate and mobility signals relate to hospitalizations, falls, heart health and quality of life. Signals studied include walking pace and flights of stairs climbed.
- Hearing Study – In partnership with the University of Michigan, this study will look at how everyday sound exposure impacts hearing. Data from this study will be shared with the World Health Organization.
Research App
Apple previously launched ResearchKit and CareKit to create its original Apple Heart Study. At Tuesday’s event it unveiled the Research app. This will allow people to participate in the new studies. It will be released as free download in the App Store later in 2019.