GSMA: Social Research - The Health and Safety Context

The GSMA is supporting a range of research projects designed to better understand the societal context for the health and safety benefits of mobile communications.

The Role of Mobile Phones in Family Relationships (UK)

The aim of this project by the Trust for the Study of Adolesence was to better understand how mobile phones (including texting) are used in communications between young people and their parents/carers. A particular focus was on how mobiles are used by parents and young people in relation to safety.

The project involved qualitative research with 60 families containing young people aged 11-16. Individual interviews were undertaken with one young person and one/two of their parents/carers. In addition, each participant completed a diary over the same seven day period, in order to look at the realities of family communication using mobiles. A full report and a summary brochure are available.

M-ECHO – Mobiles in Emergency Care and Health Outcomes (UK)

The GSMA, Telefónica O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone and the MMF are supporting a study based at the Kadoorie Centre for Critical Care Research and Education with researchers from the University of Glasgow and the University of Oxford to determine whether initial contact with emergency services via a mobile phone in life threatening situations is associated with increased survival or reduced length of stay when compared to contact via a landline.

A pilot phase in 2004-2005 showed that it was feasible to construct a linked database using data from the local ambulance service and major local hospitals. The data gathering and analysis phases are now complete with publications being prepared for submission later in 2008.