Predictors of distracted walking among Chinese adolescents

Huarong Wang; Yihao Wang; Lulu Mao; Wenjing Liu; Nan Feng; David C. Schwebel

doi:10.1016/j.trf.2025.03.011

•We examined Chinese adolescents’ engagement in distracted walking behavior and its predictors.•49.8% adolescents reported distraction while walking, and electronic devices using distraction was the most common.•Adolescents’ disinhibition sensation seeking positively predicted their distracted walking, especially among younger ones.•Traffic safety awareness partially mediated the effect of disinhibition on adolescent walking distraction. To gather self-report data on Chinese adolescents’ engagement in distracted walking behavior, and consider factors that predict distracted walking among those adolescents. A total of 955 Chinese junior and senior high school students reported their frequency of distracted walking while using electronic devices, playing with peers, and reading, as well as completing assessments for sensation seeking and traffic safety awareness. We considered differences in distracted walking across genders and grade levels, and then conducted structural equation modeling to examine the predictive effects of sensation seeking and traffic safety awareness on distracted walking, including the mediating role of traffic safety awareness and the moderating role of grade level. (1) About half of the adolescents (49.8%) reported distraction while walking, with use of electronic devices the most common distracting behavior (35%) followed by playing with a peer (s) (22.8%) and reading (7.7%); (2) The oldest students (grade 10) reported higher rates of electronic distraction while walking than grade 7 or grade 9 students, and boys were significantly more likely to be distracted by playing with peers while walking than girls; (3) Adolescents’ attitudes toward distracted walking were relatively negative; (4) Adolescents had the highest frequency of adverse consequences when walking with electronic distraction, and students in grade 7 suffered higher frequency of adverse consequences than grade 8 or grade 9 students; (5) Adolescents’ disinhibition sensation seeking positively predicted their distracted walking, and traffic safety awareness partially mediated the effect of disinhibition on adolescent walking distraction, with grade moderating the impact of disinhibition on walking distraction. Distracted walking is common among Chinese adolescents. Electronic device distraction is the most common form of distraction, and playing with peers also occurs frequently. Disinhibition sensation seeking is a significant risk factor for distracted walking behavior, especially among younger adolescents; Traffic safety awareness is an important protective factor for distracted walking behavior.

Predictors of distracted walking among Chinese adolescents

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