BTW App for Reckless Driving

(BTW Trial)

Overseen By Motao Zhu, MD, MS, PhD

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Motao Zhu

Disqualifiers: Under 15.5 years old

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 6 months

180 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of this study is to find out if a phone app can help the learning-to-drive process among teenagers and novice drivers.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the BTW app treatment for reckless driving?

Research shows that using rewards in gamified interventions can help change behavior, which is a key part of the BTW app treatment. This approach has been used successfully in other health apps to improve adherence and motivation. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the BTW App for Reckless Driving safe for humans?

The studies reviewed focus on improving driving behavior and safety through feedback and training, but they do not report any specific safety concerns or adverse effects related to the use of the BTW app or similar interventions. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

How does the BTW app treatment for reckless driving differ from other treatments?

The BTW app treatment is unique because it uses reward-based feedback and situational supervised driving practice to improve driving behavior, which is different from traditional methods that may not incorporate real-time feedback or incentives. This approach is similar to telematics-based interventions that provide real-time feedback and financial incentives to reduce speeding, but the BTW app specifically targets reckless driving with a focus on behavior modification through rewards and supervised practice. ^{6 9 10 11 12}

Research Team

Motao Zhu, MD,MS,PhD

Principal Investigator

Nationwide Children's Hospital

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for teen drivers aged 15.5-17 who've completed a driver's ed class, have at least 50 hours of driving experience including night time, and have held their permit for 6 months. They need a smartphone compatible with the BTW app, must not join other driving studies, speak English, and have parental consent plus car insurance.

Inclusion Criteria

I completed a driving course with 24 hours of theory and 8 hours of practice.

Participants must speak and read English

Participants must be a US citizen or have permanent resident status

Exclusion Criteria

I am at least 15.5 years old, as required for a learner's permit in Ohio.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants use the BTW app to track and improve driving behaviors over a 6-month period

6 months

Regular app usage and data collection

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for long-term effects on driving performance and safety attitudes

12 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• BTW app with reward-based feedback
• BTW app with situational supervised driving practice
• Sham BTW app

Trial Overview The study tests if a smartphone application (BTW) can improve safe driving habits in teens. It compares three versions: one with supervised practice scenarios, another with rewards feedback, and a sham app that doesn't provide real guidance or feedback.

Participant Groups

Group I: BTW app with situational supervised driving practice Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Teens will install the BTW app the same as the app with reward-based feedback in conjunction with a situational supervised driving practice intervention for teen-parent dyads.

Group II: BTW app with reward-based feedback Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Teens will install the BTW app with reward-based feedback. This tracks driving performance while providing individualized driving feedback using gamification concepts.

Group III: Sham BTW app Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Teens will install the sham BTW app with driving performance tracking only.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Motao Zhu

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2

Recruited

1,400+

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Collaborator

Trials

902

Recruited

25,020,000+

Findings from Research

Non-adherence to treatment is a significant issue in healthcare, costing the US over $100 billion annually in avoidable healthcare expenses and an additional $230 billion in lost productivity.

The proposed framework combines gamification techniques with real-world rewards to enhance patient motivation and adherence, implemented through modifications to a health tracking app and video feedback on potential rewards.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Increasing Health Care Adherence Through Gamification, Video Feedback, and Real-World Rewards. Saric, K., Redd, C., Varnfield, M., et al.[2020]

The SMART application, designed for youth recovering from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), received a high usability score of 85, indicating it is user-friendly and well-received by both children and parents.

User feedback led to improvements in the application, such as adding audio files to reduce reading demands, suggesting that the tool can be effectively tailored to enhance recovery strategies for mTBI.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Usability evaluation of the SMART application for youth with mTBI. Dexheimer, JW., Kurowski, BG., Anders, SH., et al.[2019]

Gamified interventions, which often use point systems as rewards, are prevalent in behavior change strategies, with 18 out of 21 reviewed studies incorporating some form of reward system.

While rewards like points and tangible items are common, their use may hinder the development of intrinsic motivation, suggesting a need for future research to better understand how these rewards affect long-term behavior change.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

What's the Point?: A Review of Reward Systems Implemented in Gamification Interventions. Lewis, ZH., Swartz, MC., Lyons, EJ.[2022]

The SMART mHealth app was used by adolescents with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) for an average of 9 days over a month, indicating a moderate level of engagement with the symptom monitoring and educational modules.

Factors such as higher parental income, the presence of comorbid ADHD, and a coping style focused on emotional engagement were associated with increased usage of the app, suggesting that socioeconomic and psychological factors influence recovery management in adolescents.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Usage Patterns of an mHealth Symptom Monitoring App Among Adolescents With Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries. Schmidt, M., Babcock, L., Kurowski, BG., et al.[2023]

The Behavioral Apptivation mobile application was developed to support Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD), which is a well-supported psychotherapy for treating depression.

Initial pilot testing of the app in a small open-label trial showed feasibility for use alongside individual BATD therapy, suggesting it could enhance clinical practice for treating depressive symptoms.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development and Preliminary Feasibility Study of a Brief Behavioral Activation Mobile Application (Behavioral Apptivation) to Be Used in Conjunction With Ongoing Therapy. Dahne, J., Kustanowitz, J., Lejuez, CW.[2020]

Error training in a driving simulator significantly improved participants' ability to transfer skills to real driving tests and enhanced their coping strategies for new driving situations, despite reducing their self-confidence in driving skills.

Guided error training showed only weak benefits over errorless learning and did not improve self-confidence or transfer skills to novel driving tests, suggesting that active engagement with errors may be more effective than passive observation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Learning from errors in a driving simulation: effects on driving skill and self-confidence. Ivancic, K., Hesketh, B.[2019]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Increasing Health Care Adherence Through Gamification, Video Feedback, and Real-World Rewards. [2020]

2. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Usability evaluation of the SMART application for youth with mTBI. [2019]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

What's the Point?: A Review of Reward Systems Implemented in Gamification Interventions. [2022]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Usage Patterns of an mHealth Symptom Monitoring App Among Adolescents With Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries. [2023]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development and Preliminary Feasibility Study of a Brief Behavioral Activation Mobile Application (Behavioral Apptivation) to Be Used in Conjunction With Ongoing Therapy. [2020]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effect of Real-Time feedback and incentives on speeding behaviors using Telematics: A randomized controlled trial. [2023]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Can a video-based hazard perception test used for driver licensing predict crash involvement? [2018]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A thousand years of crash experience in three hours: An online hazard perception training course for drivers. [2021]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A technology to measure multiple driving behaviors without self-report or participant reactivity. [2018]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using an event-triggered video intervention system to expand the supervised learning of newly licensed adolescent drivers. [2021]

11. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Elderly and young driver's reaction to an in-car enforcement and tutoring system. [2019]

12. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Learning from errors in a driving simulation: effects on driving skill and self-confidence. [2019]