Citation

Fernandez C, Vicente MA, Carrillo I, Guilabert M, Mira JJ. J. Med. Internet. Res. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Centre for Global eHealth Innovation)

DOI

10.2196/19350

PMID

32667896

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Smartphone addiction has become a reality accepted by all. Some previous studies show that the use of the smartphone 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. But there is 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 educative field (raising awareness about risks) and in the infrastructure field (redesigning the cities to increase safety).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to gather information about pedestrian's smartphone usage and to detect population groups where interventions should be focused to prevent accidents. The main hypothesis was that gender, age, and city area can significantly influence smartphone usage while walking.

METHODS: An observational study of pedestrians in the street was carried out in Elche, a medium-sized Spanish city of 230.000 inhabitants. The following data was gathered: gender, age group, location, and type of smartphone interaction. A specific smartphone app was developed to acquire data with high reliability. Statistical significance of each variable was evaluated through Chi-squared tests; and Cramér's V statistic was used to measure effect sizes. Observer agreement was checked by a Cohen's kappa analysis.

RESULTS: The behavior of 3301 pedestrians was analyzed (53.62% female). As expected, the effect of the main variables studied was statistically significant, although with a small effect size: gender (P<.001, V=.12), age (P<.001, V=.18) and city area (P<.001, V=.16). The phone in hand or "holding" behavior was particularly dependent on gender, both for all age groups (P<.001, V=.09) and, to a greater extent, for young people (P<.001, V=.16). Over 39% of young women observed belonged to "holding" or "smombie" behaviors, the highest percentage among all age and gender groups.

CONCLUSIONS: An in-depth analysis of smartphone usage while walking revealed that certain population groups (particularly, young women) have a high risk of suffering accidents due to smartphone usage. Interventions, aimed at reducing the risk of falls and collisions, should be focused on these groups.

Language: en