Mobile phone use increases walking variability, particularly in complex environments, with XGBoost identifying rate, %CV for step and stride time, and dual-task cost of rate as the most important features for classifying walking conditions.
XGBoost achieved the best classification performance among the four machine learning models tested for identifying walking-while-texting conditions.
A significant Task × Obstacle interaction was found for coefficient of variation (%CV) of step time, with greater variability occurring during high obstacle crossing while texting.
The study examined whether additional cognitive loads impair dual-task walking across conditions of varying obstacle height.
Mobile phone use while walking increases gait variability, particularly in complex environments such as those involving obstacle crossing.
This research suggests that using a mobile phone while walking makes people's gait less steady, and this effect becomes worse when the walking environment is more challenging — such as when stepping over obstacles. The study had 20 young adults walk under different conditions: normal walking, walking while texting or typing, walking while stepping over obstacles of different heights, and a combined condition involving both texting and obstacle crossing. Researchers measured how much participants' step timing varied (gait variability), as well as their texting speed and accuracy. The key finding was that texting while crossing high obstacles produced the greatest increase in step-time variability compared to other conditions. This means that the combination of a mental demand (texting) and a physical challenge (stepping over something) disrupts walking rhythm more than either challenge alone. The researchers also used machine learning to identify which measurements best distinguished between walking conditions, finding that an algorithm called XGBoost performed best, and that texting speed, step timing variability, and the performance cost of dual-tasking were the most informative features. This research suggests that distracted walking — particularly texting while navigating uneven or obstacle-filled environments — poses real risks to walking stability in young adults. Even though young adults are generally considered physically capable, the added cognitive demands of smartphone use meaningfully disrupted their gait control. These findings add to broader concerns about pedestrian safety and distracted walking in everyday environments such as sidewalks with curbs, stairs, or uneven surfaces.
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Upload Your LabsChoi C, Gill S. (2026). Increased Gait Variability while Texting and Walking with Added Cognitive Loads in Challenging Environments.. Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42675937/