The Impact of Using Mobile Phones on Gait Characteristics: A Narrative Review

Abstract

The aim of this study was to summarize the research status and reveal the impact of mobile phone use on gait characteristics by reviewing the existing studies in terms of research status, participants, independent variables, dependent variables, main findings, etc. Twenty-nine studies which investigated the impact of using mobile phones on gait characteristics were identified through a literature search. The majority of these studies examined the effects of mobile phone use on gait characteristics in young people. The preliminary results showed that walking while using a mobile phone has significant impacts on gait. It can decrease gait velocity, cadence, step length and stride length, along with significantly increasing step width, step time and double support time. The results varied among different mobile phone usage, which resulted from the different motor and mental demands. Additionally, age and environment could affect the results as well. As well as the kinematic characteristics, we suggest that kinetic and EMG analysis are conducted in future studies.

The effect of mobile phone task and age on gait: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In contrast to younger participants, the step length and step time of older participants were not affected by mobile phone use. Previous studies (Tan et al, 2022) have suggested that using a mobile phone affects older participants more than younger participants, but our study found the opposite. Older participants' attentional allocation and action execution abilities do not necessarily decline with age.…”

“…Compared to performing a single task such as arithmetic, language, memory, and motor while walking, the mobile phone task is more like integrating multiple single tasks. Its demand for cognitive resources is significantly higher than other simple tasks ( Tan et al, 2022 ). Previous studies have shown that the dual-task paradigm of using a mobile phone while walking is more likely to cause a reduced perception of the surroundings, reduced motor function of the lower limbs, and distraction than other simple tasks while walking in pedestrians ( Kim et al, 2020 ; Tan et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Its demand for cognitive resources is significantly higher than other simple tasks ( Tan et al, 2022 ). Previous studies have shown that the dual-task paradigm of using a mobile phone while walking is more likely to cause a reduced perception of the surroundings, reduced motor function of the lower limbs, and distraction than other simple tasks while walking in pedestrians ( Kim et al, 2020 ; Tan et al, 2022 ). Using mobile phone have adverse effects on pedestrian visual information, motor control, and motor responses, resulting in altered gait parameters ( Strayer et al, 2003 ; Lee and Strayer, 2004 ; McPhee et al, 2004 ; Kim et al, 2017 ; Ortiz et al, 2018 ; Tan et al, 2022 ).…”

The Role of Sleep Quality and Physical Activity Level on Gait Speed and Brain Hemodynamics Changes in Young Adults—A Dual-Task Study

“…Another systematic review reported that gait control requires cognitive resources, and there is generally a decline in gait performance when there is simultaneous involvement of cognitive tasks while walking [ 24 ]. Concerning the tasks used in our study, a systematic review that analyzed the influence of tasks performed using a smartphone while walking showed a decline in gait performance in dual-task conditions in most studies assessed [ 38 ].…”

“…We considered it important to use tasks similar to everyday life; therefore, as the smartphone is a massively used electronic device that can modify gait behavior [ 36 ], in this study, in the dual-task condition, the participants performed the cognitive task using a smartphone while walking. Based on previous studies [ 19 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ], the task protocol used in this research is the following:…”