Recall of mobile phone usage and laterality in young people: The multinational Mobi-Expo study

2018 · Unclear · Moderate evidence

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UnclearModerate evidencePaper 2115

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeexposure_assessment

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

Recall of mobile phone usage and laterality in young people: The multinational Mobi-Expo study Goedhart G, van Wel L, Langer CE, de Llobet Viladoms P, Wiart J, Hours M, Kromhout H, Benke G, Bouka E, Bruchim R, Choi KH, Eng A, Ha M, Huss A, Kiyohara K, Kojimahara N, Krewski D, Lacour B, 't Mannetje A, Maule M, Migliore E, Mohipp C, Momoli F, Petridou ET, Radon K, Remen T, Sadetzki S, Sim M, Weinmann T, Cardis E, Vrijheid M, Vermeulen R. Recall of mobile phone usage and laterality in young people: The multinational Mobi- Expo study. Environ Res. 2018 Apr 25;165:150-157. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.04.018. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To study recall of mobile phone usage, including laterality and hands-free use, in young people. METHODS: Actual mobile phone use was recorded among volunteers aged between 10 and 24 years from 12 countries by the software application XMobiSense and was compared with self-reported mobile phone use at 6 and 18 months after using the application. The application recorded number and duration of voice calls, number of text messages, amount of data transfer, laterality (% of call time the phone was near the right or left side of the head, or neither), and hands-free usage. After data cleaning, 466 participants were available for the main analyses (recorded vs. self-reported phone use after 6 months). RESULTS: Participants were on average 18.6 years old (IQR 15.2-21.8 years). The Spearman correlation coefficients between recorded and self-reported (after 6 months) number and duration of voice calls were 0.68 and 0.65, respectively. Number of calls was on average underestimated by the participants (adjusted geometric mean ratio (GMR) self-report/recorded = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.47-0.58), while duration of calls was overestimated (GMR=1.32, 95%, CI = 1.15-1.52). The ratios significantly differed by country, age, maternal educational level, and level of reported phone use, but not by time of the interview (6 vs. 18 months). Individuals who reported low mobile phone use underestimated their use, while individuals who reported the highest level of phone use were more likely to overestimate their use. Individuals who reported using the phone mainly on the right side of the head used it more on the right (71.1%) than the left (28.9%) side. Self-reported left side users, however, used the phone only slightly more on the left (53.3%) than the right (46.7%) side. Recorded percentage hands- free use (headset, speaker mode, Bluetooth) increased with increasing self-reported frequency of hands-free device usage. Frequent (≥50% of call time) reported headset or speaker mode use corresponded with 17.1% and 17.2% of total call time, respectively, that was recorded as hands-free use. DISCUSSION: These results indicate that young people can recall phone use moderately well, with recall depending on the amount of phone use and participants' characteristics. The obtained information can be used to calibrate self-reported mobile use to improve estimation of radiofrequency exposure from mobile phones. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeexposure_assessment

Effect directionunclear

PopulationVolunteers aged 10–24 years from 12 countries

Sample size466

ExposureRF · Self-reported phone use assessed 6 and 18 months after recording period; main analyses at 6 months.

Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In 466 participants, correlations between recorded and self-reported (6 months later) number and duration of voice calls were 0.68 and 0.65. Participants underestimated number of calls (GMR self-report/recorded 0.52, 95% CI 0.47–0.58) and overestimated call duration (GMR 1.32, 95% CI 1.15–1.52). Self-reported right-side users showed recorded right-side use of 71.1% vs 28.9% left, while self-reported left-side users showed 53.3% left vs 46.7% right; frequent reported hands-free use corresponded to ~17% of call time recorded as hands-free for headset or speaker mode.

Outcomes measured

Agreement between recorded and self-reported number of voice calls
Agreement between recorded and self-reported duration of voice calls
Accuracy of self-reported laterality (right/left side of head) compared with recorded laterality
Accuracy of self-reported hands-free use compared with recorded hands-free use

Limitations

Volunteer sample; generalizability not described in abstract
Main analyses based on 466 participants after data cleaning; reasons for exclusions not detailed in abstract
Self-report compared to app-recorded metrics; recording period duration and potential measurement errors not described in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Self-reported phone use assessed 6 and 18 months after recording period; main analyses at 6 months."
  },
  "population": "Volunteers aged 10–24 years from 12 countries",
  "sample_size": 466,
  "outcomes": [
    "Agreement between recorded and self-reported number of voice calls",
    "Agreement between recorded and self-reported duration of voice calls",
    "Accuracy of self-reported laterality (right/left side of head) compared with recorded laterality",
    "Accuracy of self-reported hands-free use compared with recorded hands-free use"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In 466 participants, correlations between recorded and self-reported (6 months later) number and duration of voice calls were 0.68 and 0.65. Participants underestimated number of calls (GMR self-report/recorded 0.52, 95% CI 0.47–0.58) and overestimated call duration (GMR 1.32, 95% CI 1.15–1.52). Self-reported right-side users showed recorded right-side use of 71.1% vs 28.9% left, while self-reported left-side users showed 53.3% left vs 46.7% right; frequent reported hands-free use corresponded to ~17% of call time recorded as hands-free for headset or speaker mode.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Volunteer sample; generalizability not described in abstract",
    "Main analyses based on 466 participants after data cleaning; reasons for exclusions not detailed in abstract",
    "Self-report compared to app-recorded metrics; recording period duration and potential measurement errors not described in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "radiofrequency exposure estimation",
    "recall",
    "self-report",
    "XMobiSense",
    "laterality",
    "hands-free use",
    "young people",
    "multinational"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.04.018
PubMed: Not supplied

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