Using Bluetooth Beacon Technology to Reduce Distracted Pedestrian Behavior

NCT ID: NCT03604497

Last Updated: 2020-11-24

Study Results

Results available

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

437 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-08-15

Study Completion Date

2019-12-21

Brief Summary

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Over 4,800 American pedestrians die annually, a figure that is current increasing. One hypothesized reason for the increasing trend in pedestrian injuries and deaths is the role of mobile technology in distracting both pedestrians and drivers. The investigators propose to develop and then evaluate Bluetooth beacon technology as a means to alert and warn pedestrians when they are approaching dangerous intersections, reminding them to attend to the traffic environment and cross the street safely rather than engaging with mobile technology. One aspect of the research will involve a crossover research trial to evaluate efficacy of the program.

Bluetooth beacons are very small (about the size of a dime) and inexpensive (\~$20 range) devices that broadcast information unidirectionally (beacon to smartphone) within a closed proximal network. The investigators propose placing beacons at intersection corners (e.g., on signposts) frequently trafficked by urban college students. The beacons will transmit to an app installed on users' smartphones, signaling users to attend to their environment and cross the street safely. The app will be developed to be flexible based on user preferences; for research purposes, the app also will download data concerning the users' behavior while crossing the street. The crossover trial will evaluate the app with a sample of about 411 young adults whose behavior is monitored for: (a) 3 weeks without the app being activated, (b) 3 weeks with the app activated, and then (c) 6 weeks without the app activated to assess retention of behavior. Throughout the 12 week period, the investigators will monitor user behavior at multiple intersections around campus, along with gathering self-report questionnaire perceptions and behavior at baseline and 12-week post-intervention assessments.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Health Behavior

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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beacon alerts

active intervention - participants are receiving alerts to warn them about distracted pedestrian behavior near intersections

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

beacon alerts

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

alerts via unidirectional communication from beacons to smartphones when smartphones are approaching pedestrian crossing at activated intersection

no alerts baseline

baseline - participants do not receive any alerts on their mobile smartphone when near intersections

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

no alerts retention

retention phase - alerts have stopped after active intervention and behavior is monitored to test retention of learned behavior

Group Type OTHER

no alerts retention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

no alerts will appear, but we will measure retention of behavior learned during the active intervention stage

Interventions

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beacon alerts

alerts via unidirectional communication from beacons to smartphones when smartphones are approaching pedestrian crossing at activated intersection

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

no alerts retention

no alerts will appear, but we will measure retention of behavior learned during the active intervention stage

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* individuals who cross streets on the UAB campus at least twice daily
* ownership of an Android phone
* willingness to install the app on phone
* ability to communicate in English

Exclusion Criteria

* none
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

25 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Alabama at Birmingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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David Schwebel

Primary Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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David C Schwebel, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Locations

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UAB Youth Safety Lab, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

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Other Identifiers

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R21HD095270

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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R21HD095270

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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