Prevalence of distracted walking with mobile technology: an observational study of Calgary and Edmonton high school students
| Autor: | Phillip Quon, Brent E Hagel, Mackenzie Grisdale, Kelcie Lahey, April Elliott, Kathy Belton, George A Frost |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Adolescent Poison control Pedestrian Walking Suicide prevention Occupational safety and health Alberta 03 medical and health sciences Surveys and Questionnaires Injury prevention Prevalence Humans Students Neighbourhood (mathematics) Pedestrians 030505 public health Schools Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Accidents Traffic Human factors and ergonomics General Medicine Awareness Mobile phone Female Quantitative Research 0305 other medical science Psychology Cell Phone Demography |
| Popis: | OBJECTIVES: Distracted walking poses a safety concern while crossing roads. A 2014 Canadian survey showed that 51% of teenagers were hit or almost hit while crossing the street, many of whom were distracted by mobile technology. An American study demonstrated that 1 in 5 high school students engaged in distracted walking; however, prevalence estimates in Canada have not been described. This study aimed to obtain a prevalence estimate of distracted walking in high school students in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. METHODS: Students were observed crossing the street at 20 high schools following afternoon school dismissal times during September to November 2017. Behaviours included talking on mobile phone, using earbuds, looking down at phone, and engaging in more than one of these behaviours. Also recorded were median household income of surrounding neighbourhood, outside temperature, gender, and crosswalk type. RESULTS: A total of 3553 students were observed, with 666 engaged in distracted walking (18.7%). Females engaged in distracted walking more than males (19.9% vs. 17.6%, respectively). The most prevalent behaviour was using earbuds (66.5%). Males had a lower prevalence of distracted walking compared with females. Distracted walking was more prevalent when the temperature was above 10 °C compared with less than 0 °C and less prevalent at signaled compared with non-signaled intersections. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that approximately 1 in 5 high school students in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, engage in distracted walking behaviours while crossing the street. These results may help raise awareness and inform policy to decrease risk of pedestrian injury. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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