Using Bluetooth Beacon Technology to Reduce Distracted Pedestrian Behavior

Study Overview
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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.

Official Title
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Using Bluetooth Beacon Technology to Reduce Distracted Pedestrian Behavior

Conditions
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Health Behavior

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: beacon alerts
* Behavioral: no alerts retention


Participation Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 25 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: beacon alerts<br>active intervention - participants are receiving alerts to warn them about distracted pedestrian behavior near intersections | Behavioral: beacon alerts<br>* alerts via unidirectional communication from beacons to smartphones when smartphones are approaching pedestrian crossing at activated intersection<br>|
| No Intervention: no alerts baseline<br>baseline - participants do not receive any alerts on their mobile smartphone when near intersections | |
| Other: no alerts retention<br>retention phase - alerts have stopped after active intervention and behavior is monitored to test retention of learned behavior | Behavioral: no alerts retention<br>* no alerts will appear, but we will measure retention of behavior learned during the active intervention stage<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Percentage of Street Crossings Distracted | percentage of street-crossings participants is distracted while crossing streets in intersections involved in the study, as measured electronically by smartphone behavior near those intersections. Electronic measurement was based on x-y-z coordinates of the smartphone during the crossing, as assessed and stored in the participants' phone storage. | 12 weeks |