Using mobile data to model the drinking habits of Swiss youth

Researchers have carried out a study using smartphone data from young Swiss people to better understand the circumstances in which they are most likely to drink. A computer model developed from the data can estimate, with over 75% accuracy, whether alcohol was consumed on a given weekend night. Do young people drink more out on the town or at a friend's place? In small groups or at large parties' Do they drink more if they stay at a single bar or go bar hopping? And among all these factors, which are the most influential in whether or not they drink? Researchers at Idiap Research Institute and EPFL have set out to answer these questions through a study based on factual information - i.e., smartphone data collected on weekend nights - to characterize the drinking habits of young people. A model they developed from the data can estimate the nights when someone is likely to drink with over 75% accuracy. Specific applications The researchers developed two apps that the study participants installed on their smartphones. Participants used the first to photograph and record all the beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) they drank during a weekend night, along with the type of drink, the volume, the number and where they drank them. The app sent a reminder to participants every hour in case they forgot to enter any drinks. This data indicated whether a participant drank alcohol on a given night, and was used to classify participants as either "with alcohol" or "without alcohol" for each night in the study. A model that estimates alcohol consumption