Lee Yungon, Shin Sunghoon
Department of Physical Education, Korea Military Academy, Nowon-gu, 01805, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Neuromuscular Control Laboratory, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan-si, 38541, Gyungbuk, Republic of Korea.
Heliyon. 2024 Mar 28;10(7):e28901. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28901. eCollection 2024 Apr 15.
The effect of using smartphones while walking on the cognitive and physical abilities of the "digital native" generation, i.e., individuals who have grown up in a digital media-centric environment, remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the effects of cognitive-motor interference on the use of smartphones while walking in children and young adults. The study involved 50 individuals from the digital age generation, including 24 children and 26 young adults. The study encompassed three experimental conditions, in which participants were instructed to traverse a distance of 60 m. The initial condition functioned as a control, wherein the participants walked without supplementary stimuli. In the second condition, the participants were provided with explicit instructions to grasp the smartphone device and position it in front of their chest by using both hands. This manipulation introduced a postural component into the experimental setup. The third condition required participants to be ambulatory while concurrently engaging in a cognitive task, namely, participating in a game that necessitated focused attention. Gait parameters were obtained by using inertial measurement unit sensors. Subsequently, the acquired gait characteristics were converted into dual-task costs (DTC). In the cognitive condition, children exhibited significantly greater DTC values for gait speed (76%), stride length (79%), stride time (102%), and stride length coefficient of variation (CV) than the young adults (p < 0.025). Moreover, as shown by the increased CV, a significant association exists between poor performance in smartphone games among children and increased variability in stride length. In children, the DTC of stride time CV decreased as smartphone game scores increased (R = 16.5%), and the DTC of stride length CV decreased more markedly as smartphone game scores increased (R = 28.2%). In conclusion, children are at a higher risk of pedestrian accidents when using smartphones while walking compared to young adults.
在行走时使用智能手机对“数字原生代”（即在以数字媒体为中心的环境中成长起来的个体）的认知和身体能力的影响，目前仍知之甚少。本研究评估了认知运动干扰对儿童和年轻人行走时使用智能手机的影响。该研究涉及50名数字时代的个体，包括24名儿童和26名年轻人。该研究涵盖三种实验条件，要求参与者走过60米的距离。初始条件用作对照，参与者在没有额外刺激的情况下行走。在第二种条件下，明确指示参与者双手握住智能手机并将其放在胸前。这种操作在实验设置中引入了姿势因素。第三种条件要求参与者在行走的同时参与一项认知任务，即参与一项需要集中注意力的游戏。通过使用惯性测量单元传感器获取步态参数。随后，将获得的步态特征转换为双任务成本（DTC）。在认知条件下，儿童在步态速度（76%）、步幅长度（79%）、步幅时间（102%）和步幅长度变异系数（CV）方面的DTC值比年轻人显著更高（p < 0.025）。此外，如CV增加所示，儿童在智能手机游戏中的表现不佳与步幅长度变异性增加之间存在显著关联。在儿童中，随着智能手机游戏得分的增加，步幅时间CV的DTC下降（R = 16.5%），随着智能手机游戏得分的增加，步幅长度CV的DTC下降更为明显（R = 28.2%）。总之，与年轻人相比，儿童在行走时使用智能手机时发生行人事故的风险更高。
