No description available.

The aim of this study was to analyse ninth graders self reported screen based activities, sedentary time and musculoskeletal symptoms and pain intensity. The other aim was to examine changes regarding musculoskeletal pain and inactivity between ninth graders from a cross sectional study in year 2004. To meet this aim, following questions were designed: How is the relationship between screen based activities, inactivity, musculoskeletal symptoms, pain intensity and differences between girls and boys? How have musculoskeletal symptoms and screen time changed since year 2004? Method: The method used for this study was a quantitative method. The research was carried out using a questionnaire that was answered by pupils from 11 schools from all over Sweden. The response rate was 85 % (n=465). The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Mobile phones were used three times more by girls and TV Games were used seven times more by the boys.  Tablet computers were used more randomly by 80% of the youths. Headache occurred 58% and neck pain occurred 68 % with those who used mobile phone >3 and >5 hours per day. Backache occurred with 19% of those watching TV > 3 hrs. Headache ongoing for more than a month occurred twice as much among the girls and was perceived as having a severe effect on everyday life. Boys reported neck ache and shoulder ache longer than a month somewhat to a greater extent. Nearly twice as many of the boys considered themselves being more physical active and resemble the most active person. Total sedentary time was not significant but a third of the youths reported that sitting time for 7-9 hrs during weekdays and 4-6 hrs during weekends. Differences between 2004 and 2013 showed that occurrence of ache and continuous back pain decreased whilst headache and continuous back pain increased with the boys. Conclusions: Headaches, neck pain and backaches are common among 9th graders and it seems to be a relationship with time exposure to different screen activities. Further research investigating gender differences and pain is important, in particular among girls who seem to be more vulnerable. / Studiens syfte var att analysera niondeklassares självrapporterade skärmbaserade aktiviteter, fysisk inaktivitet samt muskuloskeletala symptom, smärtintensitet och påverkan i vardagen. Vidare var syftet att göra jämförelser med resultat från en tvärsnittsstudie år 2004 i samma skolor för att se eventuella skillnader. Frågeställningarna var: Hur ser sambandet ut med skärmbaserade aktiviteter, fysisk inaktivitet samt muskuloskeletala symtom, smärtintensitet och påverkan i vardagen? Finns några könsskillnader? Hur har muskuloskeletala besvär, inaktivitet och skärmbaserad tid förändrats i jämförelse med niondeklassare år 2004? Metod: En kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie med enkäter som besvarades av 465 elever (85 %) på 11 skolor. Populationen hämtades från SIH projektet år 2004 som bestod av ett slumpmässigt urval från skolor i hela Sverige. Resultat: Mobiltelefonen användes av tre gånger så många flickor, TV spel av sju gånger så många pojkar. Surfplatta användes aldrig eller sällan av 80 %. Nackvärk och huvudvärk förekom ofta bland 68 % respektive 58 % av de som använde mobilen >3 timmar eller mer. Ryggvärk förekom bland 19 % som tittade TV > 3 timmar. Huvudvärk mer än en månad förekom dubbelt så ofta hos flickor och upplevdes ha en svår påverkan i vardagen. Dubbelt så många pojkar ansåg sig mest fysiskt aktiva i vardagen och ansåg sig likna den person som är mest fysiskt aktiv. Stillasittande tid var inte signifikant men en tredjedel av ungdomarna uppgav att de sitter stilla 7-9 h på vardag och 4-6 h på helgdag. Mellan år 2004 och år 2013 ökade förekomsten av huvudvärk och pågående ryggsmärta bland pojkar. Slutsats: Smärta i huvud, nacke och rygg är ofta förekommande bland niondeklassare och samband tycks finnas med långvarig exponering av olika skärmbaserade aktiviteter Självrapporterad smärta har i jämförelse med en tvärsnittsstudie år 2004 minskat förutom huvudvärk och ryggsmärta som ökat bland pojkar. Vidare forskning kring könsskillnader och smärta är angeläget i synnerhet bland flickor som är mer drabbade.

<p>This study focuses on cell phone usage. By comparing how a group of students use their cell phones in Sweden with that in China, alterant cell phone usage behaviors will be concluded. The study includes a case study. In order to do the research, the author selects a specific group and holds interviews. Three theories are used in this thesis which are: 1) mobile context, 2) switching behavior of mobile users and 3) transaction utility and reference situation. After introducing these three theories, the author concludes six theoretical factors which are combined into one competent framework. Base on the new framework, the author analyzes the result from the case study. After presenting the interview and the results, the author finds that Chinese students use their cell phones less frequent in Sweden compared to that in China. In order to find out the reasons, the author creates goal, emotion, fee, location and habit as the five matching factors which result in those changes. The matching factors are the bridge between the theories and the case study. After generalizing how those factors affect people while using cell phones, future work is to raise up some thoughts of how cell phones will be like in the future which is relevant to how to adapt information technology to human lives.</p>

This study sought to investigate the relationship between cell phone conversation type and dangerous driving behaviors. It was hypothesized that more emotional phone conversations engaged in while driving would produce greater frequencies of dangerous driving behaviors in a simulated environment than more mundane conversation or no phone conversation at all. Participants were semi-randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) no call, (2) mundane call, and, (3) emotional call. While driving in a simulated environment, participants in the experimental groups received a phone call from a research confederate who either engaged them in innocuous conversation (mundane call) or arguing the opposite position of a deeply held belief of the participant (emotional call). Participants in the no call and mundane call groups differed significantly only on percent time spent speeding and center line crossings, though the mundane call group consistently engaged in more of all dangerous driving behaviors than did the no call participants. Participants in the emotional call group engaged in significantly more dangerous driving behaviors than participants in both the no call and mundane call groups, with the exception of traffic light infractions, where there were no significant group differences. Though there is need for replication, the authors concluded that whereas talking on a cell phone while driving is risky to begin with, having emotionally intense conversations is considerably more dangerous.

In our technologically ever-advancing world, cell phones can either help us remain socially connected or can contribute to social isolation by substituting for face-to-face contact. This study examines the levels of social isolation in terms of the state of loneliness and trait of shyness and their correlations with academic achievement in 206 community college and university students to examine the connection between social isolation, GPA and cell phone use in college students. Two instruments used in the collection of data were the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) and the DeJong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Correlational analysis was used to examine the relationships between variables. Hypothesis 1 proposed a significant negative relationship between higher levels of cell phone use and academic achievement as measured by self-reported GPA. This was partially supported by the research findings. Hypothesis 2 proposed a significant negative relationship between shyness and higher levels of cell phone use. This was also partially supported by the research findings. Hypothesis 3 proposed a significant positive relationship between loneliness and higher levels of cell phone use. This was not supported by research findings. Implications for further research include examining non-college populations for greater generalization of results and examining additional personality traits.

<p>Cell phone use while driving is one of the commonest distracted driving behaviors that causes fatal crashes, and drivers are more likely to use their cell phones in work zones because of slow-moving traffic. The road safety campaign literature suggests that persuasive messages can positively influence safe driving behaviors leading to a reduction in crashes. Thus, this dissertation, guided by the risk perception attitude (RPA) framework, sought to examine how tailored messaging could serve as an effective communication strategy to promote positive attitudes and behavioral intentions in the context of cell phone use avoidance while driving through highway work zones. Findings from two studies, using a college student sample and a national sample of US young adults between 18 and 24 years old, revealed that the RPA framework likely does not serve as a useful audience segmentation strategy in this context because an overwhelming majority of participants (about 87%) belonged to the responsive group. A tailored messaging approach did not influence cell phone use avoidance while driving attitudes and intentions among the young adults because the majority of participants (70%) felt the messages were not designed uniquely for them and might not be personally relevant to them. However, the majority of participants (62%) reported that highway work zone safety was an important topic they would want to receive future messaging about because messages about this topic would help to save lives and protect public safety, drastically reduce crashes in highway work zones, and promote safe driving behaviors in highway work zones. Participants who were aware of the existence of state laws banning cell phone use while driving reported slightly higher attitudes toward and intentions to engage in safe driving behaviors compared to those who were not aware of the existence of such state laws. This dissertation suggests that instead of creating messages to raise risk perceptions and enhance efficacy perceptions, informing the young adult population in the US about the existence of laws banning cell phone use while driving might be an effective means to discourage them from using their cell phones while driving through highway work zones. By extending the RPA framework as an audience segmentation strategy, this dissertation also proposes a responsive group classification framework which could serve as a useful audience segmentation strategy in this study context to classify audiences into four groups to effectively tailor messages to them.</p>

No description available.

Mobile phone use while in the presence of physical conversational partners is a reality in modern day life. Many researchers have investigated how different subgroups use mobile phones and the consequences of such use. The goal of this research was to determine how mobile phones are used in social settings when face-to-face conversations are taking place. The main questions that the research attempted to solve were: (1) If the phone use was related to the conversation at hand, (2) if the intensity of phone use was correlated to how the phone was used, (3) and if phones are used during conversations in different ways depending on the relationships and demographics of the conversational partners. The research was conducted in Malmö, Sweden at bars and cafes´ by administering a semi structured verbal interview on people seen using their cell phones while in face-to-face conversations. Relevant demographic information was recorded as well as five open ended questions. The questions were aimed at understanding how the phone was used, and the phones use in relation to the physical conversation. The research was conducted using the research paradigm of Positivism and the data was analyzed using an Inductive research strategy. Uses and Gratifications theory was the main theory that this research was viewed through. In addition, relevant information was drawn from various psychological theories as well as problematic mobile phone research. The findings show that the majority of phone use is unrelated to the conversations at hand. But often this phone use is re-integrated into the conversation at a later time. It was also found that phone use related to information retrieval was most likely to be related to the face-to-face conversation. Additionally, the data showed that conversational partners that use the phone a lot are highly unlikely to be using the phone in relation to the conversation. The data showed that friends are most likely to not use the phone in relation to the conversation.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychological Sciences / Laura A. Brannon / The current research investigated strategies to reduce cell phone use while driving. Anti-distracted driving campaigns, which typically communicate risk information and target driver behavior, may produce limited effects because people tend to underestimate their risk from this behavior (e.g., Schlehofer et al., 2010). Study 1 compared the effects of messages targeting drivers to messages targeting non-drivers in order to examine the potential of discouraging people from having cell phone communication with others who are driving. Some anti-distracted driving campaigns have emphasized the potential harm to both the driver and others, but whether one approach (self-oriented or other-oriented messaging) is more persuasive than the other has not been examined empirically. Study 1 compared messages that were self-oriented, other-oriented, or neutral in terms of who could be affected by cell phone use while driving. Although cell phone use while driving generally is perceived as dangerous, people may make justifications for engaging in the behavior on at least some occasions, and these justifications may override the influence of risk knowledge on behavior. Consistent with inoculation theory (McGuire, 1961), if given the opportunity to practice refuting these justifications in a controlled setting, people will be more likely to defend themselves against justifications to engage in cell phone use while driving. Thus, Study 1 tested the prediction that participation in an inoculation task would reduce the likelihood of cell phone use while driving. Results from Study 1 suggested an advantage of targeting non-driving participants of cell phone conversations to enhance efforts for reducing on-the-road cell phone use. Study 1 also demonstrated a positive effect of inoculation, but primarily for behavior of non-driving participants of cell phone conversations. In addition to overconfidence in ability to avoid risk, habitual tendencies also may impede the influence of risk communication campaigns (Bayer & Campbell, 2012). Study 2 investigated the potential of mindfulness-based and implementation intentions techniques for helping people overcome habitual responses to their cell phone when doing so is inappropriate or inconvenient. Results indicated that pairing mindfulness-based training with risk information may be significantly more effective than risk information alone at inhibiting inappropriate cell phone use.

This study focuses on cell phone usage. By comparing how a group of students use their cell phones in Sweden with that in China, alterant cell phone usage behaviors will be concluded. The study includes a case study. In order to do the research, the author selects a specific group and holds interviews. Three theories are used in this thesis which are: 1) mobile context, 2) switching behavior of mobile users and 3) transaction utility and reference situation. After introducing these three theories, the author concludes six theoretical factors which are combined into one competent framework. Base on the new framework, the author analyzes the result from the case study. After presenting the interview and the results, the author finds that Chinese students use their cell phones less frequent in Sweden compared to that in China. In order to find out the reasons, the author creates goal, emotion, fee, location and habit as the five matching factors which result in those changes. The matching factors are the bridge between the theories and the case study. After generalizing how those factors affect people while using cell phones, future work is to raise up some thoughts of how cell phones will be like in the future which is relevant to how to adapt information technology to human lives.