Delivering Virtual Reality through Mobile Platforms: Child Pedestrian Safety Training in China

 描述(申请人提供)：儿童行人伤害是中国和其他许多LMIC的一个重大公共卫生问题。尽管对大多数成年人来说，安全过马路是自动的，但安全过马路需要儿童必须发展的复杂的认知-感知技能。发达国家的研究表明，孩子们可以通过反复练习来学习这些技能，包括在交互式虚拟现实(VR)行人环境中。因此，我们建议开发一种交互式VR行人环境，模拟中国的交通/街道环境，并可以通过互联网交付给中国及其他地区的广大用户。该系统将使用Unity 3D软件构建，并将通过标准的互联网连接到平板电脑、手机和电脑。这项工作建立在我们开发VR以培训美国儿童行人安全的基础上，以及我们对中国儿童中其他儿童伤害风险(溺水、狗咬伤)的调查。随着虚拟现实系统的发展，我们提出了评价性研究。我们将实施事后研究设计，并使用最新开发的基于平板电脑的VR系统对约300名中国学童进行行人安全培训前后，对行人技能进行多项行为和观察评估。培训前和培训后的评估策略将包括自我报告、在VR中和路边位置对行人安全进行个性化行为观察，以及观察儿童放学后过马路的情况。主要数据分析将评估从培训前到培训后个人内部的变化。如果该计划在疗效试验中被证明是成功的，将重视研究能力的发展，并确保该计划的进一步评估和可持续性。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Child pedestrian injury represents a significant public health problem in China and many other LMICs. Although automatic for most adults, safe street-crossing requires complex cognitive-perceptual skills that children must develop. Research in developed nations suggests children can learn those skills through repeated practice, including within interactive virtual reality (VR) pedestrian environments. Therefore, we propose development of an interactive VR pedestrian environment that simulates the Chinese traffic/street environment and can be delivered via the internet to the tablet platform for wide us in China and beyond. The system will be built using Unity 3D software and will run over a standard internet connection to tablets, phones, and computers. This work builds on our development of VR to train US children in pedestrian safety and our investigations of other child injury risks (drowning, dog bites) among Chinese children. Along with development of the VR system, we propose an evaluation study. We will implement a pre- post research design and use multiple behavioral and observational assessments of pedestrian skill prior to and after training a sample of about 300 Chinese schoolchildren in pedestrian safety with the newly-developed tablet-based VR system. Assessment strategies pre- and post-training will include self-report, individualized behavioral observation of pedestrian safety in the VR and at street side locations, and observation of children's street-crossing after school dismissal. Primary data analyses will assess changes within individual from pre- to post-training. Attention will be paid to development of research capacity and ensuring further evaluation and sustainability of the program if it proves successful in the efficacy trial.