System for Evaluating and Using Data on Aging (SAUDE): Functional Assessment Through Citizen Science

Abstract

Introduction: Citizen science is an innovative approach in public health, by integrating citizens into the stages of scientific research. Although incipient in health and rehabilitation, its potential is expanded by digital technologies, enabling real-time data collection, participatory surveillance, and community engagement, especially among the elderly, promoting empowerment, inclusion, and strengthening the interface between science, society, and public policies. Objective: To identify and analyze the application of citizen science in scientific projects in the health area, with an emphasis on rehabilitation and the use of digital technologies, as well as to validate the SAUDE mobile application, aimed at assessing balance and mobility conducted by citizens, exploring its usability and potential for engagement among the elderly. Methods: An integrative literature review was carried out in scientific health databases, based on articles published up to the year 2024, considering studies that used CC in the field of health and rehabilitation. After review, a platform SAUDE (https://ppgcr-unisuam.github.io/SAUDE/) was developed to collect demographic, personal, functional, muscle strength and balance data, followed by its application in elderly individuals to assess its feasibility, reliability and participants’ perception. Results: The analysis revealed a small number of studies in the area of health and rehabilitation, mostly from developed countries, most of which used information and communication technologies, especially smartphone applications, to collect and record population data. The data obtained in the digital platform SAUDE from 31 participants showed strong agreement between the application-based and evaluator-based scores in all tests, inter-test correlations supported convergent validity, and moderate associations between TUG performance and history of falls suggested preliminary construct validity. The usability analysis revealed that most participants completed the tests independently. Conclusion: The SAUDE application demonstrated validity and usability as a citizen science tool for functional self-assessment in elderly individuals, evidencing its potential in community health monitoring of this population. Although the application of CC in health and rehabilitation is still incipient, especially in Brazil, its  integration with digital technologies favors the generation of large-scale data, the empowerment of participants and the strengthening of the link between science and society. The results indicate that CC is a promising approach to increase social participation in knowledge production, support public policies and promote health and well-being.