The impact of smartphone use on gait in young adults: Cognitive load vs posture of texting

Kim, Sung-Hyeon; Jung, Jin-Hwa; Shin, Ho-Jin; Hahm, Suk-Chan; Cho, Hwi-Young

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0240118

Cited by 12 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Furthermore, the results showed that texting messages or talking on the phone while walking increases the time and number of steps to accomplish the tasks. This finding corroborates Kim and colleagues [ 14 ] and can be interpreted as a result of a more cautious gait pattern while using smartphones.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…During texting messages, the participant’s visual field is focused on the smartphone, reducing feedback from environmental hazards. Subjects’ upper limbs are holding and texting on the smartphone, which ends up reducing trunk rotation, the ability to walk, and to balance [ 14 , 15 ]. Those aspects may explain the difficulties of participants in performing the texting and walking task.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the use of a smartphone, people’s gaits present shorter strides and step lengths, wider step widths, and lower speeds [ 13 ]. In addition, the trunk’s rotation ends up being reduced, affecting the ability to walk and to balance [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Risks of Accidents Caused by the Use of Smartphone by Pedestrians Are Task- and Environment-Dependent

Sobrinho-Junior

Almeida

Ceabras

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Using smartphones during a task that requires an upright posture can be detrimental for the overall motor performance. The aim of this study was to determine the risks of accidents caused by the use of smartphones by pedestrians while walking in a controlled (laboratory) and a non-controlled (public street) environment. Two hundred and one participants, 100 men and 101 women, all young adults, were submitted to walking activities while texting messages and talking on the phone. The risk of accident was measured by the time and the number of steps necessary to walk a 20 ft distance. Assessments were performed with no external distractors (laboratory) and on a public street with vehicles, pedestrians, lights, and noises. Multivariate analysis of variance tests provided the main effect of task (using × not using smartphone), environment (laboratory × street), sex (men × women), and interactions. Significance was set at 5%. The results showed that using a smartphone while walking demanded a greater number of steps and time to perform the task (main effect of task: 0.84; p = 0.001). The risk of accident was higher on the streets where, due to traffic hazards, pedestrians performed the task faster and with a lower number of steps (the main effect of environment: 0.82; p = 0.001). There was no difference of risks between men and women (main effect of sex: 0.01; p = 0.225), whether in the laboratory or on the street (main effect of sex × environment: 0.01; p = 0.905). The task × environment interaction showed that using a smartphone on the street potentiates risks of accidents of pedestrians (main effect of task × environment: 0.41; p = 0.001). In conclusion, using a smartphone while walking can be risky for pedestrians, especially in a traffic environment. People should avoid using their smartphone while crossing streets.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Risks of Accidents Caused by the Use of Smartphone by Pedestrians Are Task- and Environment-Dependent

Sobrinho-Junior

Almeida

Ceabras

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…Four studies clearly reported an instruction according to task prioritization (texting or walking) in the procedure [35,38,47,53]. Prioritization instructions were not given in 16 studies and were not clearly reported in five studies (Table 3).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Included Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does texting while walking affect spatiotemporal gait parameters in healthy adults, older people, and persons with motor or cognitive disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Bruyneel¹,

Reinmann²,

Gafner³

et al. 2023

Gait & Posture

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“…Smartphone use is on the rise all over the world, making it the most important item in people’s daily life [ 1 ]. In recent years, individuals rarely just walk, but rather teenagers and adults constantly interact with their smartphones during walking (e.g., listening to music, looking at the screen while texting or browsing, and talking on the phone) [ 2 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of mobile phone use on motor variability patterns during gait

et al. 2022

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Mobile phone use affects the dynamics of gait by impairing visual control of the surrounding environment and introducing additional cognitive demands. Although it has been shown that using a mobile phone alters whole-body dynamic stability, no clear information exists on its impacts on motor variability during gait. This study aimed at assessing the impacts of various types of mobile phone use on motor variability during gait; quantified using the short- and long-term Lyapunov Exponent (λS and λL) of lower limb joint angles and muscle activation patterns, as well as the centre of mass position. Fourteen females and Fifteen males (27.72 ± 4.61 years, body mass: 70.24 ± 14.13 Kg, height: 173.31 ± 10.97 cm) walked on a treadmill under six conditions: normal walking, normal walking in low-light, walking while looking at the phone, walking while looking at the phone in low-light, walking and talking on the phone, and walking and listening to music. Variability of the hip (p λS = .015, λL = .043) and pelvis (p λS = .039, λL = .017) joint sagittal angles significantly increased when the participants walked and looked at the phone, either in normal or in low-light conditions. No significant difference was observed in the variability of the centre of mass position and muscle activation patterns. When individuals walk and look at the phone screen, the hip and knee joints are constantly trying to adopt a new angle to regulate and maintain gait stability, which might put an additional strain on the neuromuscular system. To this end, it is recommended not to look at the mobile phone screen while walking, particularly in public places with higher risks of falls.

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The impact of smartphone use on gait in young adults: Cognitive load vs posture of texting

Cited by 12 publications

References 31 publications

Risks of Accidents Caused by the Use of Smartphone by Pedestrians Are Task- and Environment-Dependent

Risks of Accidents Caused by the Use of Smartphone by Pedestrians Are Task- and Environment-Dependent

Does texting while walking affect spatiotemporal gait parameters in healthy adults, older people, and persons with motor or cognitive disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis

The effects of mobile phone use on motor variability patterns during gait

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