Demographic characteristics and trends of cell phone use while driving citations in selected states in the United States, 2010-2020.

OBJECTIVE: Distracted driving is a leading cause of motor vehicle crashes, and cell phone use is a major source of in-vehicle distraction. Many states in the United States have enacted cell phone use laws to regulate drivers' cell phone use behavior to enhance traffic safety. Numerous studies have examined the effects of such laws on drivers' cell phone use behavior based on self-reported and roadside observational data. However, little was known about who actually violated the laws at the enforcement level. This study sought to uncover the demographic characteristics of drivers cited for cell phone use while driving and whether these characteristics changed over time since the enactment of cell phone laws. METHODS: We acquired useable traffic citation data for 7 states in the United States from 2010 to 2020 and performed descriptive and regression analyses. RESULTS: Male drivers were cited more for cell phone use while driving. Handheld and texting bans were associated with a greater proportion of cited drivers aged 40 and above, compared to texting-only bans. Trends in the citations issued based on drivers' age group following the enactment of different cell phone laws were also uncovered. The proportion of citations issued to drivers aged 60 and above increased over time but the temporal trend remained insignificant when population effect was considered. CONCLUSIONS: This study examined the demographic characteristics of drivers cited for cell phone use while driving in selected states with texting-only bans or handheld and texting bans. The results reveal policy-based differences in trends in the proportion of citations issued to drivers in different age groups.

Mining Google and Apple mobility data: temporal anatomy for COVID-19 social distancing.

We employ the Google and Apple mobility data to identify, quantify and classify different degrees of social distancing and characterise their imprint on the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and in the United States. We identify the period of enacted social distancing via Google and Apple data, independently from the political decisions. Our analysis allows us to classify different shades of social distancing measures for the first wave of the pandemic. We observe a strong decrease in the infection rate occurring two to five weeks after the onset of mobility reduction. A universal time scale emerges, after which social distancing shows its impact. We further provide an actual measure of the impact of social distancing for each region, showing that the effect amounts to a reduction by 20-40% in the infection rate in Europe and 30-70% in the US.

COVID-19 and distance socializing between people living in a residential facility and caregivers in the context of a visitors ban

SUMMARY OF THE REQUEST: The objective of this rapid response is to spotlight various ways that are being used or that could potentially be used to foster social interactions between caregivers and vulnerable people at a time when no visits are allowed at hospitals, residential and long-term care centres, seniors' residences and at intermediary resources and family-type resources. METHODOLOGY: Review methods: The data came from a variety of sources: PubMed, Google Scholar, Google (websites). Various combinations of key words, in English and French, were used. For example: Proches aidants (proches, caregivers); Hébergement (long-term care, nursing homes, youth protection services, Ehpad); Isolement, isolement social, distanciation sociale, confinement, distance; Personnes âgées, incapacités, hospitalisation (elderly, older, disabled, hospitalized); Communication, vidéoconférence; Coronavirus, covid-19. TECHNOLOGY: o A study published in 2017 shows that digital communication technologies such as the Internet could promote social connectivity, thereby reducing the rate of social isolation and loneliness. In Quebec, 92% of households had a residential Internet connection in 2018; however, among people aged 65 and over, this percentage was only 81%. In addition, Internet access in hospitals, residential and long-term care centres, seniors' residences and at intermediary resources and family-type resources may be limited. Considering that digital literacy levels and access to tools vary widely, there is a part of the population for whom technological means are not available. It is appropriate to coach some people in order to facilitate their use of technology (as suggested above). It is important to provide access to a computer, tablet or smartphone to people who do not have these devices so that they can get in touch with their loved ones. COMMUNICATION BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS (FACILITIES) AND CAREGIVERS: Institutions (facilities) may glean some ideas from the following suggestions: Keep loved ones up to date on the situation by using listserv emails. Set up a telephone line to provide a recorded report on the current operation of the facility and update it frequently (e.g., every day). Assign someone to act as a primary contact who can be easily reached by a resident's loved ones. This contact person needs to communicate frequently with a designated loved one to provide updates on the resident's status, particularly if the resident is unable to communicate on his/her own. Share general information or news releases via the Facebook page of the institution or facility. SUPPORT SERVICES FOR ISOLATED PEOPLE AND THEIR LOVED ONES: Consideration should be given to some of the support services as a way of helping isolated people counter the harmful effects of their isolation; these include: Telephone helplines. Online cognitive-behavioural therapy to reduce loneliness and promote psychological well-being in people living in a residential facility. Telephone support services that are normally available to caregivers continue to remain accessible during the current crisis. Examples include: National Dementia Helpline (Australia). Centre de soutien entr'Aidants (Quebec). Ligne info-aidants par l'appui.org (Quebec). There are also online support services for caregivers. For example: Canadian Caregiver Network, for the loved ones of people suffering from dementia.

COVID-19 et la socialisation à distance entre les personnes hébergées et les proches aidants en contexte d'interdiction de visite / COVID-19 and long-distance socialization between residents and caregivers in the context of a visit ban

RÉSUMÉ DE LA DEMANDE: L'objectif de cette réponse rapide est de mettre en évidence les différentes manières qui sont utilisées ou qui pourraient potentiellement être utilisées pour favoriser les interactions sociales entre les soignants et les personnes vulnérables à un moment où aucune visite n'est autorisée dans les hôpitaux, les résidences et les établissements de longue durée. centres de soins de longue durée, résidences pour personnes âgées et ressources intermédiaires et ressources de type familial. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Méthodes d'examen: Les données provenaient de diverses sources: PubMed, Google Scholar, Google (sites Web). Diverses combinaisons de mots clés, en anglais et en français, ont été utilisées. Par exemple: Proches aides (proches, soignants); Hébergement (soins de longue durée, maisons de soins infirmiers, services de protection de la jeunesse, Ehpad); Isolement, isolement social, distanciation sociale, confinement, distance; Personnes âgées, incapacités, hospitalisation (personnes âgées, âgées, handicapées, hospitalisées); Communication, vidéoconférence; Coronavirus (COVID-19. TECHNOLOGIE: o Une étude publiée en 2017 montre que les technologies de communication numérique comme Internet pourraient promouvoir la connectivité sociale, réduisant ainsi le taux d'isolement social et de solitude. Au Québec, 92% des ménages avaient une connexion Internet résidentielle en 2018; cependant, chez les personnes de 65 ans et plus, ce pourcentage n'était que de 81%. De plus, l'accès à Internet dans les hôpitaux, les centres de soins de longue durée et résidentiels, les résidences pour personnes âgées et les ressources intermédiaires et les ressources de type familial peut être limité. Étant donné que les niveaux d'alphabétisation numérique et l'accès aux outils varient considérablement, il existe une partie de la population pour laquelle les moyens technologiques ne sont pas disponibles. Il convient de coacher certaines personnes afin de faciliter leur utilisation de la technologie (comme suggéré ci-dessus). Il est important de donner accès à un ordinateur, une tablette ou un smartphone aux personnes qui ne disposent pas de ces appareils afin qu'elles puissent entrer en contact avec leurs proches. COMMUNICATION ENTRE LES INSTITUTIONS (INSTALLATIONS) ET LES AIDANTS: Les institutions (installations) peuvent glaner des idées parmi les suggestions suivantes: Tenez vos proches au courant de la situation en utilisant les courriels de la liste de diffusion. Mettre en place une ligne téléphonique pour fournir un rapport enregistré sur le fonctionnement actuel de l'installation et le mettre à jour fréquemment (par exemple, tous les jours). Attribuer à quelqu'un le rôle de principal contact facilement accessible par les proches d'un résident. Cette personne-ressource doit communiquer fréquemment avec un être cher désigné pour fournir des mises à jour sur le statut du résident, en particulier si le résident est incapable de communiquer par lui-même. Partagez des informations générales ou des communiqués de presse via la page Facebook de l'institution ou de l'établissement. SERVICES DE SOUTIEN POUR LES PERSONNES ISOLÉES ET LEURS AIMÉS: Il faudrait envisager certains des services de soutien comme moyen d'aider les personnes isolées à contrer les effets néfastes de leur isolement; il s'agit notamment: Des lignes d'assistance téléphonique. Thérapie cognitivo-comportementale en ligne pour réduire la solitude et promouvoir le bien-être psychologique des personnes vivant dans un établissement résidentiel. Les services de soutien téléphonique qui sont normalement disponibles pour les aidants naturels restent accessibles pendant la crise actuelle. Exemples: National Dementia Helpline (Australie). Centre de soutien entr'Aidants (Québec). Ligne info-aidants par l'appui.org (Québec). Il existe également des services d'assistance en ligne pour les soignants. Par exemple: Canadian Caregiver Network, pour les proches des personnes atteintes de démence.

Longevidad y revolución digital. Contribucion de las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicacion al envejecimiento saludable / Longevity and digital revolution. The contribution of information and communication technologies to healthy aging

OBJETIVO: Sintetizar el conocimiento disponible sobre la contribución de las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación al envejecimiento activo y saludable. METODOLOGÍA: En la primera fase de búsqueda se utilizó la base de datos GERION de la Biblioteca Virtual del Sistema Sanitario Público Andaluz (SSPA). En la segunda fase se realizó una búsqueda en Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, SciELO, MedlinePlus y ScienceDirect. Se utilizaron descriptores de lenguaje natural y lenguaje controlado. Se incluyeron estudios publicados en castellano e inglés en el período comprendido entre enero de 2013 y enero de 2018. Se realizó una metasíntesis cualitativa. RESULTADOS: Se seleccionaron 262 estudios; se excluyeron 240: por estar duplicados, por no cumplir con los criterios de inclusión, por no disponer del texto completo y por no guardar relación con el objeto de estudio. Se incluyeron 22 estudios en la síntesis cualitativa. A partir de la identificación de temas emergentes y su agrupación en categorías, se construyó un modelo conceptual que explica la relación entre envejecimiento activo y saludable e innovación tecnológica. CONCLUSIONES: Las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación contribuyen al empoderamiento de las personas para el autocuidado; mejoran su autoeficacia y ayudan a mantener su autonomía en la toma de decisiones; favorecen su participación efectiva en los sistemas sanitarios y de cuidados, y contribuyen a la democratización de la salud. Su utilización está condicionada por el compromiso y la implicación de las personas mayores en su diseño, la adaptación a los entornos y preferencias de la persona usuaria, su simplicidad, comprensibilidad, utilidad percibida y facilidad de uso

OBJECTIVE: synthesize the available knowledge on the contribution of information and communication technologies to active and healthy ageing. METHODOLOGY: GERION database from the Virtual Library of the Public Health System of Andalusia was used in the first search phase. In the second phase, a search was performed using Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, SciELO, MedlinePlus, and Science Direct. Natural language and controlled language descriptors were used. Studies published in Spanish and English in the period January 2013 to January 2018 were included. Qualitative meta-synthesis was carried out. RESULTS: 262 studies were selected; 240 were excluded due to: duplication, not meeting the inclusion criteria, missing the full text, or not related to the object of study.22 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. From the identification of emerging issues and their grouping into categories, a conceptual model was constructed that explains the relationship between active and healthy ageing and technological innovation. CONCLUSIONS:Information and communication technologies contribute to the empowerment of people for self-care; improve their self-efficacy; help maintain their autonomy in decision-making; favor their effective participation in health and care systems; and contribute to the democratization of health. Its use is conditioned by the commitment and involvement of older people in its design, adaptation to the environments and preferences of the user, its simplicity, comprehensibility, perceived utility and ease of use

A roundup of the simplest mobile phone uses in diabetes management.

With the increasing use of mobile phones, mHealth has grown to be a very promising subject. However, mHealth programs haven't been widespread in many countries, especially in developing countries. Health-related phone applications, and in particular diabetes-related mobile apps, are gaining more popularity by the day. Yet, there are still some concerns about the safety and effectiveness of these apps. In this short commentary, we will discuss the simple uses of mobile phones and how they can contribute to the communication between patients and health professional providers.

Transitions in smartphone addiction proneness among children: The effect of gender and use patterns.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the incidence of transitions in smartphone addiction proneness (SAP) among children and examined the effects of gender, use patterns (social networking sites (SNSs) use and smartphone gaming) and depression on smartphone addiction transitions. METHODS: A representative sample of 2,155 children from Taipei completed longitudinal surveys in both 2015 (5th grade) and 2016 (6th grade). Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to characterize transitions in SAP and to examine the effects of gender, use patterns and depression on SAP transitions. RESULTS: LTA identified four latent statuses of SAP: about half of the children were in non-SAP status, one-fifth were in tolerance status, one-sixth were in withdrawal status, and one-seventh were in high-SAP status. Both boys and girls had a higher prevalence of high-SAP and tolerance in 6th grade than in 5th grade, whereas in both grades boys had a higher prevalence of high-SAP and withdrawal, and girls had a higher prevalence of non-SAP and tolerance. Controlling for parents' education, family structure, and household income, higher use of SNSs by children, increasing use of mobile gaming and higher levels of depression were individually associated with increased odds of being in one of the three SAP statuses other than non-SAP. When all three covariates were jointly entered into the model, usage of SNSs and depression remained significant predictors. CONCLUSION: Both boys and girls tended to transition to tolerance or high-SAP statuses, while children's depression and their usage of SNSs increased the risk of smartphone addiction.

Beyond the reminder: The next steps in pharmacist-driven, mHealth patient engagement.

OBJECTIVE: To describe opportunities for pharmacists to use mobile messaging and real-time monitoring to engage with patients taking long-term medications. SUMMARY: The proliferation of mobile phone use across the United States has been met with increased application of these devices by the medical community. However, beyond simple text messages and app-based functions, use of these devices by pharmacies and pharmacists has not been leveraged to improve patient outcomes, such as medication adherence. Resources now exist that can facilitate more advanced mobile communication between patients and pharmacists, which can be managed and informed by data available in most pharmacies. Such tailored messaging can be personalized further by being reactive to patient behavior using real-time medication use monitoring tools, facilitating low-cost, high-reach interventions for patients in need of ongoing guidance. CONCLUSION: Mechanisms now exist for pharmacies to engage patients more proactively with their prescribed therapy using mobile communication and devices. By facilitating such engagement, pharmacists can remain connected with patients throughout their care, better interpret their needs, navigate adherence-related issues, and more holistically counsel patients based on observed behaviors. Community pharmacy leadership should pursue the use of these advanced mobile messaging techniques as another tool in their arsenal to improve patient outcomes.

Trends in the use of seat belts and mobile phones and their seasonal variations in Florence (2005-2015).

INTRODUCTION: About 1.25 million people worldwide die every year because of road accidents. Risk is higher when drivers use mobile phones, whereas seat belts help to prevent crash-related injury. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence, associated factors, and temporal trend of the use of seat belts and mobile phones among drivers and passengers in Florence, Italy (2005-2015). METHODS: Use of seat belts and mobile phones use was monitored via direct observation in four areas in the province of Florence. We fitted Poisson regression models with robust variance to investigate the factors associated with the use of seat belts and mobile phones use by the drivers and to explore long-term trends and seasonal patterns in the two time-series. RESULTS: We observed a total of an overall 134,775 vehicles: seat belts were worn by 71.8% of drivers and front-seat passengers and 27.6% of back-seat passengers, while mobile phones were being used by 4.8% of drivers. Drivers were more likely to wear seat belt when transporting passengers (≥2 vs none: prevalence ratio [PR] 1.21, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.14-1.29) and while driving in the afternoon (PR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03-1.05), and less likely when the front-seat passenger was not wearing seat belts (PR 0.33, 95% CI 0.32-0.34). After an initial increase, seat belts use by the driver decreased over time (-0.5% each year during 2010-2015), with significant peaks and troughs in July and January, respectively. Mobile phone use by the driver was inversely associated with wearing seat belts (PR 0.67, 95% CI 0.64-0.70) and carrying passengers (≥2 vs. none PR 0.20, 95% CI 0.07-0.52). The proportion of drivers using mobile phones did not vary over time nor showed any clear seasonality. CONCLUSIONS: Drivers' risky behaviours (not wearing a seat belt and using a mobile phone) are associated, showing a global misperception of risk among a subset of drivers. The number of passengers and their behaviour is also associated with the driver's attitude. The effectiveness of primary enforcement laws has declined in Italy in recent years; therefore, other strategies should be devised and implemented.

Mobile phone use and incidence of brain tumour histological types, grading or anatomical location: a population-based ecological study.

OBJECTIVE: Some studies have reported increasing trends in certain brain tumours and a possible link with mobile phone use has been suggested. We examined the incidence time trends of brain tumour in Australia for three distinct time periods to ascertain the influence of improved diagnostic technologies and increase in mobile phone use on the incidence of brain tumours. DESIGN: In a population-based ecological study, we examined trends of brain tumour over the periods 1982-1992, 1993-2002 and 2003-2013. We further compared the observed incidence during the period of substantial mobile phone use (2003-2013) with predicted (modelled) incidence for the same period by applying various relative risks, latency periods and mobile phone use scenarios. SETTING: National Australian incidence registration data on primary cancers of the brain diagnosed between 1982 and 2013. POPULATION: 16 825 eligible brain cancer cases aged 20-59 from all of Australia (10 083 males and 6742 females). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Annual percentage change (APC) in brain tumour incidence based on Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall brain tumour rates remained stable during all three periods. There was an increase in glioblastoma during 1993-2002 (APC 2.3, 95% CI 0.8 to 3.7) which was likely due to advances in the use of MRI during that period. There were no increases in any brain tumour types, including glioma (-0.6, -1.4 to 0.2) and glioblastoma (0.8, -0.4 to 2.0), during the period of substantial mobile phone use from 2003 to 2013. During that period, there was also no increase in glioma of the temporal lobe (0.5, -1.3 to 2.3), which is the location most exposed when using a mobile phone. Predicted incidence rates were higher than the observed rates for latency periods up to 15 years. CONCLUSIONS: In Australia, there has been no increase in any brain tumour histological type or glioma location that can be attributed to mobile phones.

The temporal network of mobile phone users in Changchun Municipality, Northeast China.

Mobile data are a feasible way for us to understand and reveal the feature of human mobility. However, it is extremely hard to have a fine-grained picture of large-scale mobility data, in particular at an urban scale. Here, we present a large-scale dataset of 2-million mobile phone users with time-varying locations, denoted as the temporal network of individuals, conducted by an open-data program in Changchun Municipality. To reveal human mobility across locations, we further construct the aggregated mobility network for each day by taking cellular base stations as nodes coupled by edges weighted by the total number of users' movements between pairs of nodes. The resulting temporal network of mobile phone users and the dynamic, weighted and directed mobility network are released in simple formats for easy access to motivating research using this new and extensive data of human mobility.

Cell Phone Use While Driving: Prospective Association with Emerging Adult Use.

Secondary task engagement such as cell phone use while driving is a common behavior among adolescents and emerging adults. Texting and other distracting cell phone use in this population contributes to the high rate of fatal car crashes. Peer engagement in similar risky driving behaviors, such as texting, could socially influence driver phone use behavior. The present study investigates the prospective association between peer and emerging adult texting while driving the first year after high school. Surveys were conducted with a national sample of emerging adults and their nominated peers. Binomial logistic regression analyses, adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, parental education, and family affluence, showed that participants (n=212) with peers (n=675) who reported frequently texting while driving, were significantly more likely to text while driving the following year (odds ratio, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.19-7.59; P=0.05). The findings are consistent with the idea that peer texting behavior influences the prevalence of texting while driving among emerging adults.

Pain, pain intensity and pain disability in high school students are differently associated with physical activity, screening hours and sleep.

BACKGROUND: Studies exploring the association between physical activity, screen time and sleep and pain usually focus on a limited number of painful body sites. Nevertheless, pain at different body sites is likely to be of different nature. Therefore, this study aims to explore and compare the association between time spent in self-reported physical activity, in screen based activities and sleeping and i) pain presence in the last 7-days for 9 different body sites; ii) pain intensity at 9 different body sites and iii) global disability. METHODS: Nine hundred sixty nine students completed a questionnaire on pain, time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity, screen based time watching TV/DVD, playing, using mobile phones and computers and sleeping hours. Univariate and multivariate associations between pain presence, pain intensity and disability and physical activity, screen based time and sleeping hours were investigated. RESULTS: Pain presence: sleeping remained in the multivariable model for the neck, mid back, wrists, knees and ankles/feet (OR 1.17 to 2.11); moderate physical activity remained in the multivariate model for the neck, shoulders, wrists, hips and ankles/feet (OR 1.06 to 1.08); vigorous physical activity remained in the multivariate model for mid back, knees and ankles/feet (OR 1.05 to 1.09) and screen time remained in the multivariate model for the low back (OR = 2.34. Pain intensity: screen time and moderate physical activity remained in the multivariable model for pain intensity at the neck, mid back, low back, shoulder, knees and ankles/feet (Rp2 0.02 to 0.04) and at the wrists (Rp2 = 0.04), respectively. Disability showed no association with sleeping, screen time or physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests both similarities and differences in the patterns of association between time spent in physical activity, sleeping and in screen based activities and pain presence at 8 different body sites. In addition, they also suggest that the factors associated with the presence of pain, pain intensity and pain associated disability are different.

Self-reported mobile phone use and semen parameters among men from a fertility clinic.

There is increasing concern that use of mobile phones, a source of low-level radio-frequency electromagnetic fields, may be associated with poor semen quality, but the epidemiologic evidence is limited and conflicting. The relationship between mobile phone use patterns and markers of semen quality was explored in a longitudinal cohort study of 153 men that attended an academic fertility clinic in Boston, Massachusetts. Information on mobile phone use duration, headset or earpiece use, and the body location in which the mobile phone was carried was ascertained via nurse-administered questionnaire. Semen samples (n=350) were collected and analyzed onsite. To account for multiple semen samples per man, linear mixed models with random intercepts were used to investigate the association between mobile phone use and semen parameters. Overall, there was no evidence for a relationship between mobile phone use and semen quality.

Trends in cell phone use among children in the Danish national birth cohort at ages 7 and 11 years.

We prospectively examined trends in cell phone use among children in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Cell phone use was assessed at ages 7 and 11 years, and we examined use patterns by age, by year of birth, and in relation to specific individual characteristics. There was an increase in cell phone use from age 7 (37%) to 11 years (94%). There was a clear pattern of greater reported cell phone use among children at age 7 years with later birth year, but this trend disappeared at age 11. Girls and those who used phones at age 7 talked more often and for longer durations at age 11 years. Low socio-economic status and later year of birth were associated with voice calls at age 7 but not at age 11 years. At age 11 most used cell phones for texting and gaming more than for voice calls. Further, children who started using cell phones at age 7 years were more likely to be heavy cell phone voice users at age 11 years, making early use a marker for higher cumulative exposure regardless of year of birth. As cell phone technology continues to advance, new use patterns will continue to emerge, and exposure assessment research among children must reflect these trends.