SBU Study: Cellphone Use While Walking Can be Dangerous

The dangers of driving while talking or texting on cellphones have been extensively researched, but a new Stony Brook University study published online in the journal Gait & Posture has shown that talking or texting while walking can be dangerous, too.

The study found that while it outwardly seems easy, talking and texting while walking impairs memory and causes other problems, the university announced Wednesday.

The study tested 33 men and women in their 20s who said they often used cellphones for talking and texting. They were asked to establish a baseline assessment of normally walking an eight-meter distance to a set target. A week later, the subjects returned to repeat the experiment – at which point two-thirds of the participants talked or texted on a cellphone while the remaining participants repeated the original test.

The results found those who were texting while walking showed a 33 percent decrease in walking speed, while those who were talking while walking showed a 16 percent decrease in walking speed. Additionally, the texting group showed a decrease of 61 percent in lateral accuracy and a 13 percent increase in the distance traveled.

"We were surprised to find that talking and texting on a cell phone were so disruptive to one’s gait and memory recall of the target location," said Dr. Eric M. Lamberg, co-author of the study and a clinical associate professor in the School of Health Technology and Management.

"We are using the findings to help physical therapy patients improve true functional walking while making them aware that some tasks may affect their gait and/or certain aspects of memory recall," Lamberg said.