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

The dataset was first extracted from the database and then it was coded. The demographics data were subsequently analyzed using Microsoft Excel, 2013. Basic statistics for each categorical variable, which was matched against the methodology of accessing the database, was computed. Additional statistical analysis involving the other questionnaires was performed using the SPSS statistical program, version 16.0 for Windows. Categorical variables were expressed by number and percentage. Continuous variables were expressed as mean (SD). Chi-square analyses were used to compare demographic data, personal views on the N-95 mask, and presence of physical symptoms across two groups based on gender and perceived dangerous PSI value. Using a subscale of IES-R and total IES-R score as dependent variables, univariate linear regression were performed to identify factors, which determined psychological impact during the haze crisis. Statistical significance was set at P<.05 for all analyses.