Development of iBsafe: A Collaborative, Theory-based Approach to Creating a Mobile Game Application for Child Safety

Unintentional injury is a leading cause of death worldwide, and the number one cause of child death in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics promotes safety recommendations to decrease child injury risk, however the majority of educational programs delivering these strategies are school-based or in community campaigns. Mobile technology provides an opportune platform to deliver pediatric injury prevention programs given its massive global reach and underrepresentation within the current mobile health market. This paper describes the development of iBsafe, a novel mobile safety game application designed to prevent injury in 5- to 6- year old children. Our multidisciplinary team utilized a step-wise approach to create an innovative child game application which is based in behavioral theory and promotes evidence-based safety recommendations. Results and future directions for iBsafe aim to interactively educate children on how to be safe and ultimately improve their safety behaviors.