Using Bluetooth Beacon Technology to Reduce Distracted Pedestrian Behavior

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Health Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: beacon alerts; Behavioral: no alerts retention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03604497

R21HD095270 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment: 437 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 25 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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437 participants in 3 patient groups

beacon alerts

Experimental group

Description:

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

Treatment:

Behavioral: beacon alerts

no alerts baseline

No Intervention group

Description:

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

no alerts retention

Other group

Description:

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

Treatment:

Behavioral: no alerts retention