A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Pedestrian Interventions to Teach Children How to Cross Streets Safely

Casie H Morgan; Lindsay M Stager; David C Schwebel; Jiabin Shen

doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsad058

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A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Pedestrian Interventions to Teach Children How to Cross Streets Safely

Journal article

Peer reviewed

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Pedestrian Interventions to Teach Children How to Cross Streets Safely

Casie H Morgan, Lindsay M Stager, David C Schwebel and Jiabin Shen

Journal of pediatric psychology, Vol.48(12), pp.1003-1020

12/20/2023

DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsad058

PMCID: PMC10733733

PMID: 37665734

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https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10733733/pdf/jsad058.pdfView

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Abstract

Over 7,000 American children die from pedestrian injuries annually, and pedestrian injury ranks among the top 5 causes of unintentional child death. Prevention efforts are multifaceted. One strategy, use of virtual reality (VR) to teach children to cross streets, is of growing interest to public health practitioners. The present study is a systematic review and meta-analysis that examined the efficacy of using VR to teach children pedestrian safety. Following PRISMA guidelines, searches among 7 databases were completed, followed by abstract/full-text screening and data extraction. Hedge's g was computed for the effect sizes of 3 outcomes: pedestrian knowledge, pedestrian-relevant cognition (attention to traffic, time to contact, start delay), and pedestrian behaviors (safe crossings, unsafe crossings). Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane guidelines. Meta-regression analyses and subgroup analyses were conducted including 3 moderators: age, sex, and immersion level. A total of 20 studies, reported in 24 articles, were included in the qualitative analysis. Meta-analysis of the 12 studies with sufficient quantitative data available showed a statistically significant medium effect of VR safety interventions on child pedestrian knowledge and behavior. Mixed results emerged for the effect of VR safety interventions on children's pedestrian-relevant cognition. Age and sex moderated the effect of VR training on pedestrian knowledge. This synthesis of the literature on pediatric VR pedestrian safety interventions suggests an overall beneficial impact of VR interventions to teach children how to cross streets safely. Efforts should continue to develop and disseminate effective VR interventions. CRD42022309352.

Accidents, Traffic - prevention & control

Child

Humans

Pedestrians

Safety

Virtual Reality

Details

Title: Subtitle: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Pedestrian Interventions to Teach Children How to Cross Streets Safely
Creators: Casie H Morgan - University of Alabama at Birmingham
Lindsay M Stager - University of Alabama at Birmingham
David C Schwebel - University of Alabama at Birmingham
Jiabin Shen - University of Massachusetts Lowell
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of pediatric psychology, Vol.48(12), pp.1003-1020
DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsad058
PMID: 37665734
PMCID: PMC10733733
NLM abbreviation: J Pediatr Psychol
ISSN: 0146-8693
eISSN: 1465-735X
Grant note: R01 HD088415 / NICHD NIH HHS R01HD088415 / NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 12/20/2023
Academic Unit: Research Administration
Record Identifier: 9984949464102771

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