Dataset Information

Factors Influencing Pedestrian Smartphone Use and Effect of Combined Visual and Auditory Intervention on "Smombies": A Chinese Observational Study.

ABSTRACT: Objective: This was a large-scale multicenter study with two objectives. One was to study the factors influencing pedestrian smartphone use while crossing roads, and the other was to study the effect of combined visual and auditory intervention on smartphone zombies (smombies) at crossroads. Methods: This study was conducted in four different Chinese cities. By observing pedestrians crossing intersections, the weather, time, and characteristics of the pedestrians were recorded by four researchers. Then, its influencing factors and the effects of the intervention were studied in two consecutive periods. Results: A total of 25,860 pedestrians (13,086 without intervention and 12,774 with visual and auditory intervention) were observed in this study. Logistic regressions showed that gender, age of the pedestrians, weather, and time were the factors influencing smombies crossing roads. The number of smartphone users decreased from 4,289 to 3,579 (28.1%) (χ ² = 69.120, p < 0.001) when the intervention was conducted. Conclusion: Based on large-sample, multicenter research, this study revealed the factors influencing pedestrian smartphone use while crossing roads, contributing to our understanding of the current situation of smombies in China. Furthermore, the effect of visual and auditory intervention was demonstrated, providing a new paradigm for global prevention of smombie behavior.

SUBMITTER: Hao QH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9285399 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Factors Influencing Pedestrian Smartphone Use and Effect of Combined Visual and Auditory Intervention on "Smombies": A Chinese Observational Study.

Hao Qing-Hong QH Wang Yang Y Zhou Ming-Ze MZ Yi Ting T Cui Jia-Rui JR Gao Ping P Qiu Mi-Mi MM Peng Wei W Wang Jun J Tu Yang Y Chen Ya-Lin YL Li Hui H Zhu Tian-Min TM

International journal of public health 20220622

<b>Objective:</b> This was a large-scale multicenter study with two objectives. One was to study the factors influencing pedestrian smartphone use while crossing roads, and the other was to study the effect of combined visual and auditory intervention on smartphone zombies (smombies) at crossroads. <b>Methods:</b> This study was conducted in four different Chinese cities. By observing pedestrians crossing intersections, the weather, time, and characteristics of the pedestrians were recorded by f ...[more]

PMID: 35845432

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Project description:BackgroundSmartphone addiction has become a reality accepted by all. Some previous studies have shown that the use of smartphones on public roads while walking is very common among the young population. The term "smombie" or smartphone zombie has been coined for this behavior. Such behavior causes a reduction in the attention given to other pedestrians and drivers and may result in accidents or collisions. However, there are no precise data about how many people use the phone while they are walking on the street. Smartphone usage habits are evolving rapidly, and more in-depth information is required, particularly about how users interact with their devices while walking: traditional phone conversations (phone close to the ear), voice chats (phone in front of the head), waiting for notifications (phone in hand), text chats (user touching the screen), etc. This in-depth information may be useful for carrying out specific preventive actions in both the education field (raising awareness about the risks) and in the infrastructure field (redesigning the cities to increase safety).ObjectiveThis study aimed to gather information about pedestrians' smartphone usage and to identify population groups wherein interventions should be focused to prevent accidents. The main hypothesis was that gender, age, and city area can significantly influence the smartphone usage of the pedestrians while walking.MethodsAn observational study of pedestrians in the street was carried out in Elche, a medium-sized Spanish city of 230,000 inhabitants. The following data were gathered: gender, age group, location, and type of smartphone interaction. A specific smartphone app was developed to acquire data with high reliability. The statistical significance of each variable was evaluated using chi-squared tests, and Cramér's V statistic was used to measure the effect sizes. Observer agreement was checked by the Cohen kappa analysis.ResultsThe behavior of 3301 pedestrians was analyzed, of which 1770 (53.6%) were females. As expected, the effect of the main variables studied was statistically significant, although with a small effect size: gender (P<.001, V=0.12), age (P<.001, V=0.18), and city area (P<.001, V=0.16). The phone in hand or "holding" behavior was particularly dependent on gender for all age groups (P<.001, V=0.09) and to a greater extent in young people (P<.001, V=0.16). Approximately 39.7% (222/559) of the young women observed showed "holding" or "smombie" behavior, and they comprised the highest proportion among all age and gender groups.ConclusionsAn in-depth analysis of smartphone usage while walking revealed that certain population groups (especially young women) have a high risk of being involved in accidents due to smartphone usage. Interventions aimed at reducing the risk of falls and collisions should be focused in these groups.

Project description:AimThe objective of this study was to evaluate the Chinese version of the Smartphone Distraction Scale (C-SDS), which is an easy-to-use tool for screening the risk of smartphone distraction in Chinese college students.MethodsThe C-SDS, Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version (SAS-SV), Fear of Missing Out scale (FoMO) and Metacognition about Smartphone Use Questionnaire (MSUQ) were used in a sample of 1,002 Chinese college students to test smartphone distraction and its influencing factors. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to test measurement properties and factor structures of the C-SDS. Multi-variable linear regressions examined the relationships of sex, age, education level, the purpose of using a smartphone, usage of smartphone (hours per day), fear of missing out, smartphone addiction and positive and negative metacognitions about smartphone use with the C-SDS.ResultsThe EFA showed a 3-factor structure, which consisted of attention impulsiveness, multitasking and emotion regulation. The CFA showed that the 3-factor demonstrated an overall better model fit (RMSEA = 0.07, SRMR = 0.05, CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.93). The C-SDS showed internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.88, McDonald's Omega ω = 0.88). Findings included that negative metacognition about smartphone use was most correlated with the C-SDS (b = 0.73; p < 0.001). Smartphone addiction, positive metacognition about smartphone use and fear of missing out also correlated with the C-SDS (b = 0.66, p < 0.001; b = 0.53, p < 0.001; b = 0.40, p < 0.001, respectively). The study shows that males compared to females (b = -1.65; p = 0.003), had a higher C-SDS score.ConclusionThe C-SDS was valid and reliable for assessing the distraction of using smartphones in the Chinese context. Being female, the purpose of using a smartphone, smartphone usage (hours per day), fear of missing out, smartphone addiction and positive and negative metacognitions about smartphone use were positively correlated to the C-SDS.

Project description:BackgroundDespite a large volume of research on the impact of other digital screens (eg, televisions) on eating behavior, little is known about the nature and impact of mealtime smartphone use.ObjectiveWe investigated how smartphones are used in everyday meals, whether phone users differ according to mealtime phone use patterns, and whether specific phone functions (particularly food photography) would affect the amount and enjoyment of food eaten.MethodsAcross 2 studies, we used the experience sampling method to track 1780 meals in situ. In study 1, a total 137 young adults reported on their mealtime smartphone use 3 times per day over 7 consecutive days. This corresponded to each main meal, with participants recording whether they used their phones and what phone functions they engaged in while eating. In study 2, a total of 71 young adults were similarly tracked for 3 meals per day over 7 days. Across the week, participants' meals were randomized to 1 of 3 smartphone conditions: food photography while eating, nonfood photography while eating, or no phone use. As the outcome measures, participants reported on the amount and enjoyment of food they ate.ResultsDuring the week-long tracking, most participants (110/129, 85.3%) recorded at least one instance of mealtime smartphone use, with an average frequency of 1 in 3 meals where phones were used (27.1%; 95% CI 23.6-30.6). Unlike traditional digital screens, mealtime phone use encompassed a wide range of social and nonsocial activities. Further, specific forms of phone use behaviors influenced food intake in different ways. Specifically, in study 2, participants showed the typical pattern of increased food intake across the day when they engaged in nonfood photography during a meal (P<.001); however, this pattern was disrupted when they engaged in food photography (P=.73).ConclusionsOur findings underscore the prevalence and multifaceted nature of mealtime phone use, distinguishing mobile phones from traditional forms of digital screens.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03299075; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03299075 and ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03346785; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03346785.

Project description:When the brain tries to acquire an elaborate model of the world, multisensory integration should contribute to building predictions based on the various pieces of information, and deviance detection should repeatedly update these predictions by detecting "errors" from the actual sensory inputs. Accumulating evidence such as a hierarchical organization of the deviance-detection system indicates that the deviance-detection system can be interpreted in the predictive coding framework. Herein, we targeted mismatch negativity (MMN) as a type of prediction-error signal and investigated the relationship between multisensory integration and MMN. In particular, we studied whether and how cross-modal information processing affected MMN in rodents. We designed a new surface microelectrode array and simultaneously recorded visual and auditory evoked potentials from the visual and auditory cortices of rats under anesthesia. Then, we mapped MMNs for five types of deviant stimuli: single-modal deviants in (i) the visual oddball and (ii) auditory oddball paradigms, eliciting single-modal MMN; (iii) congruent audio-visual deviants, (iv) incongruent visual deviants, and (v) incongruent auditory deviants in the audio-visual oddball paradigm, eliciting cross-modal MMN. First, we demonstrated that visual MMN exhibited deviance detection properties and that the first-generation focus of visual MMN was localized in the visual cortex, as previously reported in human studies. Second, a comparison of MMN amplitudes revealed a non-linear relationship between single-modal and cross-modal MMNs. Moreover, congruent audio-visual MMN exhibited characteristics of both visual and auditory MMNs-its latency was similar to that of auditory MMN, whereas local blockage of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors in the visual cortex diminished it as well as visual MMN. These results indicate that cross-modal information processing affects MMN without involving strong top-down effects, such as those of prior knowledge and attention. The present study is the first electrophysiological evidence of cross-modal MMN in animal models, and future studies on the neural mechanisms combining multisensory integration and deviance detection are expected to provide electrophysiological evidence to confirm the links between MMN and predictive coding theory.

Dataset Information

Factors Influencing Pedestrian Smartphone Use and Effect of Combined Visual and Auditory Intervention on "Smombies": A Chinese Observational Study.

Publications

Factors Influencing Pedestrian Smartphone Use and Effect of Combined Visual and Auditory Intervention on "Smombies": A Chinese Observational Study.

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