Spatiotemporal gait and centre of mass variables while performing different smartphone tasks and confronting obstacle among young adults

Purpose. smartphone is one of the essential tools but may be inappropriate during locomotion or transportation owing to cognitive distractions. The study aimed to investigate the main effects of smartphone tasks, obstacle conditions, and their interaction on the spatiotemporal gait and centre of mass (cOM) variables among healthy young adults. Methods. The study used a single group with repeated measures design. Overall, 20 participants completed 4 smartphone tasks (no task, texting, calling, and watching), combined with 2 conditions of obstacle confrontation (with and without). spatiotemporal gait (step length, step time, cadence, and gait speed) and cOM variables during gait (excursion and velocity in mediolateral and vertical directions) were collected. Results. significant effects of smartphone tasks and obstacle conditions were found, while no interaction effect between smartphone tasks and obstacle was found. There were alterations of the spatiotemporal gait and cOM variables during walking, both with and without obstacle. The obstacle condition significantly influenced the different tasks of mobile perturbation, all spatiotemporal gait and cOM variables, except for the cOM mediolateral velocity. Conclusions. confronting smartphone tasks and obstacle conditions concurrently challenges young adults to adjust their movement and balance control systems to perform the tasks successfully.