Asian Scientist (Jan. 27, 2014) – When your phone alerts you to an incoming text message, you may want to stop walking before reading and replying to that text message. That is because researchers have found evidence that writing text messages on your phone while walking can alter your posture and balance.
Sending text messages has become an increasingly popular form of communication, but little is known about how sending text messages impacts our lives.
In research published in PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia studied the effect of mobile phone use on body movement while walking in 26 healthy individuals. Each person walked at a comfortable pace in a straight line over a distance of approximately 8.5 meters while doing one of three tasks: walking without the use of a phone, reading text on a mobile phone, or typing text on a mobile phone.
The scientists evaluated the subjects’ body movement three-dimensional movement analysis system and found that texting, and to a lesser extent reading, modified the body’s movement while walking.
In comparison with normal walking, when participants were writing text, participants walked slower, deviated more from a straight line and moved their neck less than when reading text. Although the arms and head moved with the chest to reduce relative motion of the phone and facilitate reading and texting, movement of the head increased, which could negatively impact the balance system.
Because of these findings, the researchers believe that texting or reading on a mobile phone may pose an additional risk to safety for pedestrians navigating obstacles or crossing the road.
The article can be found at: Schabrun SM et al. (2014) Texting And Walking: Strategies For Postural Control And Implications For Safety.
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Source: University of Queensland; Photo: ~MVI~ (warped)/Flickr/CC.
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