Uso de dispositivos móviles y alteraciones cervicales en estudiantes universitarios / Use of mobile devices and cervical disorders in university students / Uso de dispositivos móveis e distúrbios cervicais em estudantes universitários

Las alteraciones cervicales son un problema multifactorial que afecta a la sociedad moderna. Posturas viciosas, traumatismos y defectos congénitos relacionados con la columna cervical pueden desarrollar inestabilidad, pinzamiento radicular, cervicoartrosis y cervicalgias. Objetivo. Relacionar el uso de dispositivos móviles con las alteraciones cervicales en estudiantes universitarios. Materiales y métodos. Estudio descriptivo, observacional, que se realizó entre los meses de mayo y julio del 2023, cuya muestra fue de 172 estudiantes universitarios que se obtuvo aplicando la fórmula para el cálculo muestral de poblaciones conocidas, mediante un muestreo no probabilístico. Se utilizó el test goniométrico para medir el rango articular, el test postural para identificar las alteraciones posturales, la técnica de palpación para identificar dolor inespecífico, prueba de resistencia para los músculos flexores (NFMET) y extensores (NEET), por último, se realizó la prueba de Spurling para identificar casos de radiculopatías. Resultados. Aunque las relaciones estadísticas no fueron consistentes, se observó que quienes utilizaron más tiempo los teléfonos celulares (87,0%) mostraron más limitaciones cervicales que los usuarios menos frecuentes (73,5%). La movilidad articular fue limitada en el 84,3% de la población, especialmente en varones (93,5%); la resistencia muscular normal en extensión fue más prevalente en el caso de los hombres (84,9%), mientras que la resistencia alterada en flexión fue más prevalente en mujeres (94,9%). Conclusiones. Según los resultados obtenidos en esta investigación, no se encontró suficiente evidencia para determinar una relación estadísticamente significativa (P˃0,05) entre las alteraciones cervicales y el uso de teléfonos celulares, aunque se observó una mayor limitación en el caso de quienes más tiempo utilizaban el dispositivo móvil.

Cervical disorders are a multifactorial problem affecting modern society. Vicious postures, trauma and congenital defects related to the cervical spine can develop instability, radicular impingement, cervicoarthrosis and cervicalgia. Objective. To relate the use of mobile devices with cervical disorders in university students. Materials and methods. Descriptive, observational study carried out between May and July 2023, with a sample of 172 university students obtained by applying the formula for the sample calculation of known populations, by means of non-probabilistic sampling. The goniometric test was used to measure joint range, the postural test to identify postural alterations, the palpation technique to identify non-specific pain, resistance test for flexor (NFMET) and extensor (NEET) muscles, and finally, the Spurling test was performed to identify cases of radiculopathy. Results. Although the statistical relationships were not consistent, it was observed that those who used cell phones longer (87.0%) showed more cervical limitations than less frequent users (73.5%). Joint mobility was limited in 84.3% of the population, especially in men (93.5%); normal muscular endurance in extension was more prevalent in men (84.9%), while impaired endurance in flexion was more prevalent in women (94.9%). Conclusions. According to the results obtained in this investigation, there was not enough evidence to determine a statistically significant relationship (P˃0.05) between cervical alterations and cell phone use, although a greater limitation was observed in the case of those who used the mobile device the longest.

Os distúrbios cervicais são um problema multifatorial que afeta a sociedade moderna. Posturas viciosas, traumas e defeitos congênitos relacionados à coluna cervical podem levar a instabilidade, impacto radicular, cervicoartrose e cervicalgia. Objetivo. Relacionar o uso de dispositivos móveis com distúrbios cervicais em estudantes universitários. Materiais e métodos. Estudo descritivo, observacional, realizado entre maio e julho de 2023, com uma amostra de 172 estudantes universitários obtida pela aplicação da fórmula para o cálculo de amostras de populações conhecidas, por meio de amostragem não probabilística. Foram utilizados o teste goniométrico para medir a amplitude articular, o teste postural para identificar alterações posturais, a técnica de palpação para identificar dores inespecíficas, o teste de resistência para músculos flexores (NFMET) e extensores (NEET) e o teste de Spurling para identificar casos de radiculopatia. Resultados. Embora as relações estatísticas não tenham sido consistentes, observou-se que aqueles que usavam telefones celulares por mais tempo (87,0%) apresentavam mais limitações cervicais do que os usuários menos frequentes (73,5%). A mobilidade articular foi limitada em 84,3% da população, especialmente no sexo masculino (93,5%); a resistência muscular normal em extensão foi mais prevalente no sexo masculino (84,9%), enquanto a resistência prejudicada em flexão foi mais prevalente no sexo feminino (94,9%). Conclusões. De acordo com os resultados obtidos nesta pesquisa, não houve evidências suficientes para determinar uma relação estatisticamente significativa (P˃0,05) entre os distúrbios cervicais e o uso de telefones celulares, embora tenha sido observada uma limitação maior no caso daqueles que usaram o dispositivo móvel por períodos mais longos.

Increased psychological distress among young people before and during the fifth wave of COVID-19 after two years of pandemic in Hong Kong: a 6-month longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Despite over two years of COVID-19 worldwide, the outbreak of the Omicron variant has given rise to an unprecedented surge of infection with diverse lockdown measures implemented globally. Whether the emergence of a new wave of COVID-19 could further affect mental health in the population after nearly two years of the pandemic remains to be addressed. Furthermore, whether changes in smartphone overuse behaviours and physical activity - both of which are particularly relevant to young people - would together contribute to changes in distress symptoms during this wave of COVID-19 was also examined. METHODS: A total of 248 young people from an ongoing household-based epidemiological study in Hong Kong who completed their baseline assessments prior to the Omicron variant outbreak, i.e., fifth wave of COVID-19 (July-November 2021), were invited for a 6-month follow-up study during this wave of infection (January-April 2022) (mean age = 19.7 years, SD = 2.7; 58.9% females). At both time points, levels of global distress symptoms, perceived stress, smartphone overuse, frequency of engagement in vigorous physical activity, and other potential risk and protective factors were assessed. RESULTS: The proportion of young people presenting moderate-to-severe distress (6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale ≥ 5) significantly increased from 45.6 to 54.4% during the fifth wave of COVID-19 (p < 0.010). Significantly increased levels of smartphone overuse and reduced days of vigorous physical activity were also observed during the fifth wave. Notably, increased smartphone overuse and reduced physical activity both additively and interactively contributed to elevated distress at 6 months, even after accounting for demographic characteristics, psychiatric history, childhood adversity, as well as baseline distress symptoms, resilience, and recent personal stressors. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the emergence of a new wave of COVID-19, specifically the Omicron outbreak, can further aggravate mental distress even after a protracted period of the pandemic. Awareness of the dynamic nature of COVID-19 is necessitated to address the pressing mental health needs of populations. Supporting young people in healthier patterns of smartphone use and physical activity can be helpful.

The Intersectional Impact of Race/Ethnicity and Sex on Access to Technology Among Older Adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Research on technological access and usage has revealed a digital divide based on several sociodemographic factors, including race/ethnicity, sex, income, and education. While several studies have examined these factors separately, few studies have considered how multiple vulnerable identities may combine to influence access to technology. Using the theory of intersectionality, this study assesses the combined impact of race/ethnicity and sex on access to a working cellphone and a working laptop/computer among U.S. older adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were derived from the 2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study. Chi-square tests were used to test group differences, and four multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between the intersection of race/ethnicity and sex, and access to a working cellphone and a working laptop/computer. RESULTS: After accounting for other explanatory variables, White female participants, Black male participants, Black female participants, Hispanic male participants, and Hispanic female participants were all less likely to have a working cellphone or a working laptop/computer compared to White male participants. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study point to a significant disparity in access to technology based on intersectional identities, with Black and Hispanic female participants having the least access to technology. Interventions aiming to improve access to technology should target these two groups, with a focus on reducing the cost of purchasing technological equipment and the provision of training programs that improve technological skills.

Efectos del confinamiento sobre los hábitos saludables de adolescentes durante la pandemia de COVID-19 / Effects of confinement on the healthy habits of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic / Efeitos do confinamento nos hábitos saudáveis dos adolescentes durante a pandemia de COVID-19

Introducción: en marzo de 2020, en Uruguay se decretó la emergencia sanitaria al detectarse los primeros casos de infección por SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). El confinamiento domiciliario voluntario fue una de las medidas de salud pública adoptadas en el control de la pandemia. Objetivo: describir el efecto del confinamiento sobre los hábitos de sueño, alimentación y actividad física de adolescentes de Montevideo y Canelones durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Metodología: encuesta elaborada ad hoc, voluntaria, anónima, online y autoadministrada a adolescentes de 12 a 19 años, usuarios de CASMU, CRAMI, COMECA y Asociación Española, entre el 1 de junio y el 1 de julio de 2020. Se aplicaron cuestionarios validados para evaluar sueño, alimentación y actividad física. Resultados: se encuestaron 465 adolescentes, 70,1% mujeres y 48,2% de adolescencia media. Refirieron permanecer más de 6 horas al día conectados a internet y al celular 58,3% y 42,4%, respectivamente. La convivencia durante el confinamiento resultó agradable en la mayoría. El 76% refirió dormir menos de 9 horas/día. Señaló un consumo adecuado de frutas 6%, verduras 5,8% y lácteos 32,2%. El porcentaje de adolescentes activos descendió de 30,7% previo a la pandemia a 19,7% durante la misma. A la pregunta "¿cuál es la primera palabra que te viene a la mente cuando escuchas pandemia de COVID-19?" la mayoría brindó respuestas negativas. Conclusiones: las medidas de confinamiento no se asociaron con problemas importantes en la convivencia familiar en este grupo de adolescentes. Se observó una profundización de los problemas en los hábitos de alimentación, actividad física, sueño que favorecen el "ambiente obesogénico" y el riesgo de desarrollo de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles. Resulta relevante considerar el impacto negativo del confinamiento y planificar las medidas preventivas tendientes a mitigar sus efectos.

Introduction: in March 2020, a Health Emergency was decreed in Uruguay when the first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID 19) infection were detected. Voluntary home confinement was one of the public health measures adopted in theto control the pandemic. Objectives: describe the effects of confinement on sleep, eating and exercise habits of adolescents assisted by private health providers in Montevideo and Canelones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: ad hoc, voluntary, anonymous, online and self-administered survey to adolescents of 12 to 19 years of age, users of CASMU, CRAMI, COMECA and Asociación Española HMOs, between June 1 and July 1, 2020. Validated questionnaires were applied to assess sleep, diet and exercise habits. Results: 465 adolescents were surveyed, 70.1% women and 48.2% in mid-adolescence. They reported having been connected to Internet and cell phone more than 6 hours a day, 58.3% and 42.4%, respectively. Coexistence during confinement was mostly pleasant. 76% reported sleeping less than 9 hours/day. They reported an appropriate consumption of fruit 6%, vegetables 5.8% and dairy 32.2%. The percentage of active adolescents fell from 30.7% before the pandemic to 19.7% during the pandemic. To the question, What is the first word that comes to mind when you hear about the COVID-19 pandemic? most gave negative responses. Conclusions: confinement measures were not linked to important problems regarding coexistence with relatives in this group of adolescents. We observed a worsening of the eating, exercise and sleep habits, which may favor the "obesogenic environment" and increase the risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases. It is relevant to consider the negative impact of confinement and plan preventive measures aimed at mitigating its effects.

Introdução: em março de 2020, a Emergência Sanitária foi decretada no Uruguai quando foram detectados os primeiros casos de infecção por SARS-CoV-2 (COVID 19). O confinamento domiciliar voluntário foi uma das medidas de saúde pública adotadas para controlar a pandemia. Objetivo: descrever o efeito do confinamento nos hábitos de sono, alimentação e atividade física de adolescentes em Montevidéu e Canelones durante a pandemia de COVID-19. Metodologia: inquérito ad hoc, voluntário, anônimo, online e autoadministrado a adolescentes de 12 a 19 anos de idade atendido pelas prestadoras CASMU, CRAMI, COMECA e Associação Espanhola, entre 1 de junho e 1 de julho de 2020. Foram aplicados questionários validados para avaliar os seus hábitos de sono, alimentação e atividade física. Resultados: foram pesquisados 465 adolescentes, 70,1% mulheres e 48,2% na adolescência média. 58,3% e 42,4%, respectivamente, relataram ficar mais de 6 horas por dia conectados à internet e ao celular. A convivência durante o confinamento foi agradável para a maioria. 76% relataram dormir menos de 9 horas/dia. 6% deles indicou consumo adequado de frutas, vegetais 5,8% e laticínios 32,2%. O percentual de adolescentes ativos caiu de 30,7% antes da pandemia para 19,7% durante ela. Quando perguntados: Qual é a primeira palavra que vem à mente quando você ouve a pandemia do COVID-19? a maioria forneceu respostas negativas. Conclusões: as medidas de confinamento não estiveram associadas a problemas importantes na vida familiar neste grupo de adolescentes. Observou-se aprofundamento dos problemas nos hábitos alimentares, de exercício físico e de sono que favorecem o "ambiente obesogênico" e o risco de desenvolver doenças crônicas não transmissíveis. É relevante considerar o impacto negativo do confinamento e planejar medidas preventivas visando mitigar seus efeitos.

The impact of descriptive and injunctive norms on engagement in mobile phone use while driving in young drivers: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Prior research indicates that younger adults overestimate their peers' engagement in risk-taking behaviours, with these estimates being directly associated with engagement in such behaviours. However, the extent to which younger adults perceive their peers' approval of, and engagement in, road traffic violations (such as mobile phone use while driving) is yet to be clearly identified. Further, the influence of such perceptions on subsequent mobile phone use while driving behaviours remains unclear. Accordingly, the aim of this systematic review was to (a) examine young drivers' perceptions regarding their peers' approval of (injunctive norms), and engagement in (descriptive norms) mobile phone use while driving and (b) to identify whether such perceptions increase young drivers own engagement in the behaviour. METHODS: Studies were eligible for review if they measured (a) perceived social norms (descriptive/injunctive) and (b) the relationship between such norms and mobile phone use while driving in younger adults aged 16-25 years. Searches were conducted in December 2021, using Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and TRID. Five articles were included in the review. RESULTS: Overall, the results indicate that young drivers perceive their peers to engage in mobile phone use while driving on a frequent basis, however they typically believe that their peers disapprove of the behaviour. The majority of studies indicated that descriptive norms were significantly associated with increasing engagement in mobile phone use while driving (including distracted driving behaviours). Finally, the few studies that investigated injunctive norms on mobile phone use while driving indicated positive correlations between perceived peer approval and increasing distracted driving behaviour. DISCUSSION: The findings highlight the importance of social norms in influencing behaviour, indicating that both descriptive and injunctive norms warrant further investigation when examining the impact of peer influences on mobile phone use while driving.

Association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether a possible association of mobile phone use with hearing impairment was conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. CONTENT: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. A comprehensive literature search was carried out based on the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) methodology using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, OVID, and Cochrane. The Robins-I tool was used for quality assessment and risk of bias. Two investigators independently reviewed all articles. Pooled effect size was calculated and meta-analysis was performed to compute an overall effect size. SUMMARY: Overall, five relevant studies (two cross-sectional and three cohort studies) with 92,978 participants were included in the analysis. The studies were stratified by design, there was no significant association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment in cross-sectional studies (OR=0.94, 95% CI=0.57-1.31) and cohort studies (OR=1.09, 95% CI=0.93-1.25). In addition, the effect estimates did not differ significantly between cross-sectional and cohort studies (Q=0.50, p=0.48). Overall, the pooled odds ratio (OR) of hearing impairment was 1.07 (95% CI: 0.94-1.20), which indicates no significant association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment. OUTLOOK: Our findings indicate no association between mobile phone use and hearing impairment. However, these findings must be interpreted with caution.

Spatiotemporal prediction of COVID-19 cases using inter- and intra-county proxies of human interactions.

Measurements of human interaction through proxies such as social connectedness or movement patterns have proved useful for predictive modeling of COVID-19, which is a challenging task, especially at high spatial resolutions. In this study, we develop a Spatiotemporal autoregressive model to predict county-level new cases of COVID-19 in the coterminous US using spatiotemporal lags of infection rates, human interactions, human mobility, and socioeconomic composition of counties as predictive features. We capture human interactions through 1) Facebook- and 2) cell phone-derived measures of connectivity and human mobility, and use them in two separate models for predicting county-level new cases of COVID-19. We evaluate the model on 14 forecast dates between 2020/10/25 and 2021/01/24 over one- to four-week prediction horizons. Comparing our predictions with a Baseline model developed by the COVID-19 Forecast Hub indicates an average 6.46% improvement in prediction Mean Absolute Errors (MAE) over the two-week prediction horizon up to 20.22% improvement in the four-week prediction horizon, pointing to the strong predictive power of our model in the longer prediction horizons.

Trip duration drives shift in travel network structure with implications for the predictability of spatial disease spread.

Human travel is one of the primary drivers of infectious disease spread. Models of travel are often used that assume the amount of travel to a specific destination decreases as cost of travel increases with higher travel volumes to more populated destinations. Trip duration, the length of time spent in a destination, can also impact travel patterns. We investigated the spatial patterns of travel conditioned on trip duration and find distinct differences between short and long duration trips. In short-trip duration travel networks, trips are skewed towards urban destinations, compared with long-trip duration networks where travel is more evenly spread among locations. Using gravity models to inform connectivity patterns in simulations of disease transmission, we show that pathogens with shorter generation times exhibit initial patterns of spatial propagation that are more predictable among urban locations. Further, pathogens with a longer generation time have more diffusive patterns of spatial spread reflecting more unpredictable disease dynamics.

Mobile phone use while driving: Development and validation of knowledge, attitude, and practice survey instruments.

INTRODUCTION: Instruments that assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of mobile phone use serve as a primary assessment tool on which mobile phone distracted driving interventions can be designed. The objective of this study is to develop and validate KAP-modeled survey instruments that measure the knowledge of mobile phone hazards while driving (KMPHD), the attitude of drivers towards mobile phone use while driving (AMPUD), and the practice of mobile phone use while driving (PMPUD). METHOD: This study was a cross-sectional analytical survey conducted in Ibadan, Nigeria. Three instruments were designed to measure KMPHD, AMPUD, and PMPUD. Content validity, item analysis, exploratory factor analysis were conducted, and items were excluded based on the collective results of the analysis. The domains of the constructs and the reliability of the instruments are reported. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the regression weights of each item and the model fit. RESULTS: From an original list of 13, 12, and 10 items in the KMPHD, AMPUD, and PMPUD instruments, a final list of 7, 5, and 7 items were generated in each survey instrument, respectively. Two domains of the knowledge of hazards and practice of mobile phone use were obtained, and attitude to phone use while driving was a single domain. The reliabilities (Cronbach alpha) of the KMPHD (0.881), AMPUD (0.954), and PMPUD (0.920) were sufficiently high. Also, all items in the three instruments had moderate-to-high regression coefficients, and the model fits of the instruments were good. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides KAP-modeled survey instruments that can be used to assess a population-based knowledge, attitude, and practice of mobile phone use while driving. Practical Applications: This survey instrument can be used in assessing baseline knowledge, attitude, and practice of phone use while driving and determine the focus and effectiveness of mobile phone-induced distracted driving interventions.

Limited Technology Access Among Residents of Affordable Senior Housing During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While U.S. adults living in affordable senior housing represent a vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic, affordable housing may provide a foundation for interventions designed to improve technology access to support health. To better understand technology access among residents of affordable senior housing, we surveyed members of a national association of resident service coordinators to assess their experiences working with residents during the pandemic (n = 1,440). While nearly all service coordinators report that most or all residents have reliable phone access, under a quarter report that most or all have reliable internet access; they also report limited access to technology for video calls. Lack of internet access and technology literacy are perceived as barriers to medical visits and food procurement for low-income older adult residents of affordable housing. Policies to expand internet access as well as training and support to enable use of online services are required to overcome these barriers.

Mobile phone use and trends in the incidence of cancers of the parotid and other salivary glands.

BACKGROUND: There has been a significant increase in the use of mobile phones over the last three decades and a possible association with head cancers has been suggested, including cancers of the parotic and other salivary glands. We examined the incidence time trends of parotid and other salivary gland cancers in Australia to ascertain the influence of increased mobile phone use. METHODS: Analyses of incidence time trends were carried out using Poisson regression to estimate the annual percentage change (APC) in the incidence of salivary gland cancers of all available national registration data from 1982 to 2016, as well as specific time periods (1982-1993, 1994-2005, 2006-2016) representing changes in the prevalence of mobile phone use. RESULTS: The incidence of parotid gland cancer was stable for the periods 1982-1993 and 1994-2005. During 2006-2016 there was a large decrease in parotid gland cancer for males (APC: -3.71, 95 %CI: -6.66 to -0.67) and a large increase in females (4.80, 1.77-7.91) for adults aged 20-59 years. The incidence for other salivary gland cancers was stable during all the periods. CONCLUSIONS: The results do not indicate that mobile phone use increased the incidence of parotid or other salivary gland cancers. An increase in parotid gland cancer in females since 2006 may be attributed to other possible risk factors specific to this gender.

Impact of air pollution on human activities: Evidence from nine million mobile phone users.

To measure the effects of air pollution on human activities, this study applies statistical/econometric modeling to hourly data of 9 million mobile phone users from six cities in China's Zhejiang Province from December 18 to 21, 2013. Under a change in air quality from "Good" (Air Quality Index, or AQI, between 51 and 100) to "Heavily Polluted" (AQI between 201 to 300), the following effects are demonstrated. (i) Consistent with the literature, for every one million people, 1, 482 fewer individuals are observed at parks, 95% confidence interval or CI (-2, 229, -735), which represents a 15% decrease. (ii) The number of individuals at shopping malls has no statistically significant change. (iii) Home is the most important location under worsening air quality, and for every one million people, 63, 088 more individuals are observed at home, 95% CI (47, 815, 78, 361), which represents a 19% increase. (iv) Individuals are on average 633 meters closer to their home, 95% CI (529, 737); as a benchmark, the median distance from home ranges from 300 to 1900 meters across the cities in our sample. These effects are not due to weather or government regulations. We also provided provisional evidence that individuals engage in inter-temporal activity substitutions within a day, which leads to mitigated (but not nullified) effects of air pollution on daily activities.

Psychosocial factors associated with the self-reported frequency of cell phone use while driving in Iran.

Cell phone use while driving is a common contributing factor in thousands of road traffic injuries every year globally. Despite extensive research investigating the risks associated with cell phone use while driving, social media campaigns to raise public awareness and a number of laws banning phone use while driving, this behaviour remains prevalent throughout the world. The current study was conducted in Iran, where road traffic injuries are the leading causes of death and disability, and where drivers continue to use their cell phones, despite legislative bans restricting this behaviour. A total of 255 drivers in the city of Mashhad (male = 66.3%; mean age = 30.73 years; SD = 9.89) completed either an online or a paper-based survey assessing the self-reported frequency of using a cell phone while driving. Psychosocial factors contributing to cell phone use while driving and support for legislation restricting this behaviour, as well as the Big Five personality traits, were also measured. Overall, the results showed that almost 93% of drivers use their cell phones while driving at least once a week, with 32.5% reporting they always use their cell phones while driving. Ordinal logistic regression revealed that the presence of a child passenger, age, perceived benefits and risks of using cell phones while driving, as well as the perceived ability to drive safely while using a cell phone, were strongly associated with the frequency of cell phone use while driving. As for personality traits-extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness significantly predicted the frequency of cell phone use in this sample of Iranian drivers.

Mental Health and Behavior of College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Mobile Smartphone and Ecological Momentary Assessment Study, Part II.

BACKGROUND: Since late 2019, the lives of people across the globe have been disrupted by COVID-19. Millions of people have become infected with the disease, while billions of people have been continually asked or required by local and national governments to change their behavioral patterns. Previous research on the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that it is associated with large-scale behavioral and mental health changes; however, few studies have been able to track these changes with frequent, near real-time sampling or compare these changes to previous years of data for the same individuals. OBJECTIVE: By combining mobile phone sensing and self-reported mental health data in a cohort of college-aged students enrolled in a longitudinal study, we seek to understand the behavioral and mental health impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, measured by interest across the United States in the search terms coronavirus and COVID fatigue. METHODS: Behaviors such as the number of locations visited, distance traveled, duration of phone use, number of phone unlocks, sleep duration, and sedentary time were measured using the StudentLife mobile smartphone sensing app. Depression and anxiety were assessed using weekly self-reported ecological momentary assessments, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-4. The participants were 217 undergraduate students. Differences in behaviors and self-reported mental health collected during the Spring 2020 term, as compared to previous terms in the same cohort, were modeled using mixed linear models. RESULTS: Linear mixed models demonstrated differences in phone use, sleep, sedentary time and number of locations visited associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In further models, these behaviors were strongly associated with increased interest in COVID fatigue. When mental health metrics (eg, depression and anxiety) were added to the previous measures (week of term, number of locations visited, phone use, sedentary time), both anxiety and depression (P<.001) were significantly associated with interest in COVID fatigue. Notably, these behavioral and mental health changes are consistent with those observed around the initial implementation of COVID-19 lockdowns in the spring of 2020. CONCLUSIONS: In the initial lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, people spent more time on their phones, were more sedentary, visited fewer locations, and exhibited increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. As the pandemic persisted through the spring, people continued to exhibit very similar changes in both mental health and behaviors. Although these large-scale shifts in mental health and behaviors are unsurprising, understanding them is critical in disrupting the negative consequences to mental health during the ongoing pandemic.

Canadian Adolescents' Internalized Symptoms in Pandemic Times: Association with Sociodemographic Characteristics, Confinement Habits, and Support.

Adolescence is a time of increased risk for developing symptoms of anxiety and depression, especially for girls. The stress and social isolation experienced during confinement add new threats to already vulnerable adolescents' daily lives. This study is aimed at determining which sociodemographic characteristics (age, family composition, achievement), confinement habits (schedule, new hobby, sleep duration, cellphone and computer use, sports, schoolwork), and sources of support (parents and teachers) are associated with more or less internalized symptoms in Canadian adolescents. Differences between boys and girls are also investigated. Between April 8 and 30 (2020) and through an online survey, 895 Canadian adolescents (74% girls) aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.7) were recruited. Path analysis was performed to identify significant associations between sociodemographic characteristics, confinement habits, support variables, and internalized symptoms. Independent samples t-tests and invariance tests were conducted to compare boys and girls. Results suggest that certain confinement habits (time spent using cellphones, doing sports and schoolwork, finding a new hobby) and support variables (parents working outside the home) were significantly and negatively associated with internalized symptoms. Regarding the sex differences, girls used their cellphones more and invariance test results showed that all associations between predictors and symptoms were statistically similar for boys and girls. This study's results help understand better adolescents' experience in confinement. It sheds light on the habits likely to characterize those who are less at risk of experiencing distress, making it possible to better support adolescents during this challenging period.

Smartphone addiction across the lifetime during Italian lockdown for COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Smartphone misuse, also known as Nomophobia is the fear of not being able to consult your own mobile phone, of not being connected or traceable. During the Italian lockdown caused by COVID-19, while the use of technology was the fundamental basis of adaptation for smart working, school and professional training, leading to a change in the population's lifestyle, smartphone dependency caused impaired social relationships. To date, the impact of smartphone dependency in men and women is unclear. We conducted this study with the hypothesis that a period of lockdown fosters the growth of a pathological use of the cell phone different in women and men. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work is to investigate gender differences in the level of smartphone dependency in teens and adults during the COVID-19 lockdown period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The NoMobilePhobia-Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was presented online to 1264 participants between the ages of 15 and 67. RESULTS: The results show no significant main effects for the two factors taken into account (Gender and Age of participants). However, the significant interaction shows that female participants reported on average higher scores on NMP-Q than males, [F(4,1253) =7.06 and p<.001, observed power close to 1 (0.99) and effect size = 0.03 (ETA partial squared)] for the younger age group (15-44), while for those over the age of 44, the average highest scores were for male participants. CONCLUSIONS: One of the "positive" aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the use of the Internet and smartphones, and our analysis aimed to document the frequency of use in the Italian context with the NMP-Q. However, we can also conclude that this research is relevant because it can give us a glimpse of the relationship between dependency and mental issues. The results reveal the risk in some of the Italian population of developing forms of smartphone dependency, especially in circumstances that prohibit direct social interactions.

Is organized carpooling safer? Speeding and distracted driving behaviors from a naturalistic driving study in Brazil.

Carpooling consists of drivers and passengers sharing a journey and its costs. Nowadays, in the context of mobility as a service, organized carpooling encompasses a service and trust relationship between drivers and passengers, by matching common routes and splitting cost through mobile phone applications. Therefore, passengers expect a certain level of travel quality and safety. In this context, this research aims to verify the hypothesis that drivers in an organized carpooling situation (CP) show safer driving behavior in terms of speeding (SP) and mobile phone use while driving (MPU) in comparison with non-carpooling (NCP) drivers. The research is based on data from the Brazilian Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS-BR) conducted in the City of Curitiba, with 40.45 driving hours and a traveled distance of 895.87 km. Methodology included the selection of safety performance indicators on SP and MPU, use of nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test for safety performance indicator comparisons and Pearson Chi-Square to test the association between CP or NCP and low or high indicator values. Hypothesis test results point in the same direction and partially confirm the initial assumption that CP induces safer behavior in terms of speeding. The statistically sound results showed that CP drivers engaged in less speeding episodes and mobile phone use duration in comparison to NCP drivers, as well as lower speed while using a mobile phone. In addition, driver behavior in CP and NCP situations also differed in terms of the type of MPU, with the proportion of types of use that demand a higher level of visual and manual distraction being higher among NCP drivers. In summary, these results confirm the initial hypothesis of safer driving behavior during carpooling in terms of MPU while driving.

Association between the pattern of mobile phone use and sleep quality in Northeast China college students.

OBJECTIVES: Currently, mobile penetration is high amongst college students. The aims of this study were to investigate the characteristics of mobile phone use and to explore the influence of mobile phone use characteristics on sleep quality amongst college students. METHODS: From December 2016 to January 2017, we collected mobile phone use characteristics and sleep quality data using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and standardised questionnaires that were answered by 4500 medical university students in Liaoning Province (actual response rate of 94%, n = 4234 college students). This study used the SPSS 21.0 software to establish the database and perform the statistical analysis. RESULTS: One hundred percent of the college students had mobile phones and used mobile phones for entertainment (91%), work (51%), obtaining information (61%), and other purposes (23%). Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference in the PSQI score between students who held the phone at a distance of more than 10 cm from their eyes and those who held it a distance of less than 10 cm (P = 0.002). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of poor sleep quality was 1.21-1.53 times higher for those who spent more than 5 h a day using their phones and 1.41-1.59 times higher for those who used their phones for more than half an hour before going to bed when the lights were off. CONCLUSIONS: Daily cumulative mobile phone use and use with the lights off before sleep are associated with poorer sleep quality.

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.

Characterizing phone usage while driving: Safety impact from road and operational perspectives using factor analysis.

Phone use while driving (PUWD) is one of the most crucial factors of distraction related traffic crashes. This study utilized an unsupervised learning method, known as factor analysis, on a unique distracted driving dataset to understand PUWD behavior from the roadway geometry and operational perspectives. The results indicate that the presence of a shoulder, median, and access control on the relatively higher functional class roadways could encourage more PUWD events. The roadways with relatively lower speed limits could have high PUWD event occurrences if the variation in operating speed is high. The results also confirm the correlations between the frequency of PUWD events and the frequency of distracted crashes. This relationship is strong on urban roadways. For rural roadways, this correlation is only strong on the roadways with a large amount of PUWD events. The findings could help transportation agencies to identify suitable countermeasures in reducing distraction related crashes. Moreover, this study provides researchers a new perspective to study PUWD behavior rather than only focus on drivers' personalities.