Usage of Social Media and Smartphone Application in Assessment of Physical and Psychological Well-Being of Individuals in Times of a Major Air Pollution Crisis

Zhang, Melvyn WB; Ho, Cyrus SH; Fang, Pan; Lu, Yanxia; Ho, Roger CM

Unlike 1997 and 2006, the 2013 haze crisis has led to devastating effects for Indonesia’s neighboring countries, such as Singapore and Malaysia. In view of the poor air quality, the Singapore government has taken measures to safeguard the physical wellbeing of Singaporeans [8]. Even in healthy individuals, the haze may cause medical complications like conjunctivitis, throat irritation, rhinitis, blocked nasal passages, excessive sputum production, and even significant breathlessness, headache, and slow cognition. In addition, those who have preexisting respiratory conditions may find their conditions worsening; those with dermatological conditions like eczema might also find exacerbation of their skin conditions; those with preexisting cardiovascular conditions may suffer an increased risk of myocardial infarction or stroke; and those who are pregnant and are asthmatic may have reduced oxygenation of the fetus, thus affecting fetal growth [8]. The acute onset of such a massive air pollution crisis was what motivated the authors to consider whether conventional technologies, as described in previous research, and newer modalities of technology would be appropriate in reaching out to the general population, in terms of dissemination of necessary crisis information, as well as collation of crucial information from the general population.