Research suggests link between cell phones and child accidents
Cora A. Jones, Staff Writer
Published On: 11/17/2008
Cell phones have become a vital lifeline for people in the last couple of decades. Whether it’s driving home, walking around the mall, or simply sitting in the comforts of their own homes, people have also grown to rely on the cell phone as a new pastime. Not only do cell phones serve as a form of entertainment, they are also a means for parents to keep up with their teens and pre-teens. This may not always be the safest way, however.
Recently, a UAB graduate student, Despina “Dessie” Stavrinos, won an award for her research on child pedestrians and cell phones. The Society of Pediatric Psychology/CDC Injury Prevention Student Research Award, which was established this year, awards $1,000 “to encourage and reward quality research on issues related to unintentional injury prevention in children and adolescents,” according to the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Web site.
“I was selected as the first recipient of the Injury Prevention Student Research Award,” Stavrinos said.
Her research examined child pedestrians and the dangers they face as a result of their cell phone use. Stavrinos, along with her mentor, David Schwebel, Ph.D., and graduate student Katie Byington, studied children ages 10 and 11, particularly due to the rise of cell phone use in this age group. Children were put in a virtual environment where they crossed a street, and it was found that they paid less attention to the road and motor vehicles when talking on a cell phone. The children tended to look to their left and right less and they were hit more in the simulation with the moving vehicles while engaged in a phone conversation.
“Our results suggest that while cell phones may be convenient and safe in some circumstances, parents should be sure to warn their children of the danger cell phones may pose in certain demanding situations, such as crossing the street,” Stavrinos said.
Schwebel, who is also an associate professor and vice chairman of the UAB Psychology Department, helped with the research and assisted in the virtual environmental testing. He notes that just as drivers are distracted by cell phones while driving, so, too, are children when crossing the street. Schwebel mentions that by age 10, most American children have learned how to cross the street safely.
“Pedestrian injuries is one of the leading causes of death for American children in middle childhood, and injuries more generally are the leading cause of death for American children,” he said.
Thus finding the factors for why this happens must be investigated. The research done by Stavrinos and Schwebel poses one theory, and, to Schwebel, that is a step closer to preventing child pedestrians from becoming injured.
“That allows us to think about ways to prevent injuries, such as by encouraging children to stop and sit down, for example, while they talk on the phone, and then to walk across streets while undistracted,” he said.
Stavrinos was more than thrilled to have been the first recipient of the Prevention Award and believes that all students should be encouraged to conduct studies like the one she did.
“As a psychology student, I want to encourage others in similar fields who may be interested in basic research to consider how their work may apply to major public health problems such as injury,” Stavrinos said.
In her spare time, Stavrinos, a native of Pleasant Grove, Ala., enjoys spending time with family, engaging in outdoor activities like camping, and watching Alabama football.
With a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Alabama, and a Master’s in Lifespan Developmental Psychology from UAB in 2006, Stavrinos plans to graduate with her Ph.D. in May 2009.
Email: cojones@uab.edu
