Validity of the Smombie Scale: Sensitivity and specificity in identifying pedestrian risk group

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the most effective cut-off point for the Smombie Scale and evaluate its ability to screen for pedestrian safety risks among young adults. Methods: Data were obtained from an online sample of 396 Korean young adults aged 18-39 years. Latent profile analysis was used to distinguish the risk group as a reference measure for the Smombie Scale. Discriminative power was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the area under the ROC curve. The cut-off points were estimated from the Youden index and the balanced score. Results: The latent profile analysis showed two different classes: "risk group" of 17.8% and "others." Based on the latent profile analysis, sensitivity, and specificity analysis showed that an adequate cut-off point of 2.78 of five points or higher was associated with a high risk of distracted walking. Conclusion: The Smombie Scale is a good predictor of problematic smartphone use on the road and can be used as a screening tool for assessing risk levels among young adult pedestrians.