ReviewEffects of the use of mobile phone on postural and locomotor tasks: a scoping review
Introduction
In 2016, 77% of Americans owned a mobile phone, and this rate rose to 92% for the 18-29-year-olds [1]. Using of mobile phones during postural and locomotor tasks (e.g. balancing, walking) is a daily situation for most individuals at all stages of life and for a variety of environmental and health conditions [2]. Mobile phones are increasingly used in clinical practice by therapists thanks to applications that are being developed either to measure physiological parameters (e.g. range of motion, balance) [3], or to improve the follow-up of individuals (e.g. self-exercise at home, questionnaires) [4]. While many studies have been conducted on these applications, studies on the use of mobile phones during postural and locomotor tasks and the reciprocal interactions are more scarce. Considering the preponderance of these tasks in our daily lives, it is therefore essential to understand the influence of mobile phone use on postural-locomotor tasks, especially for people with motor and/or cognitive impairements that diminish their balance and motor skills during dual tasks [5].
Five to 30% of walking-related falls and accidents are directly attributable to the use of a mobile phone [1,6]. People under 30 – due to their frequency of use – and over 60 are more exposed to risks, particularly when writing a text message [7]. Mobile phone use appears to induce cognitive distraction, reduced visual attention to the environment and impaired musculoskeletal biomechanics through decreasing arm and head mobility – which may be the main factors of risk [8]. However, one study also showed altered walking behavior when crossing a street [9]. Therefore, the use of a mobile phone seems to induce multiple consequences that may explain functional disturbances and associated risks. Nevertheless, the consequences of mobile phone use on the functionality of individuals are still little known. As a result, they are little taken into account in rehabilitation, even though patients under treatment very often use their phone – a crucial social component of their lives – and given that rehabilitation must be a dynamic process that adapts to changing lifestyles.
A scoping review is an alternative to a systematic review. It is used when the main objective is to determine the scope of available studies in order to have an overview of a topic [10]. This methodological choice is appropriate when the evidence is still emerging and does not allow for a systematic review to be conducted because the number of studies with similar methodologies on the same issue is too small. Scoping reviews differ methodologically from systematic reviews in that the authors do not evaluate article quality; it also differs from narrative reviews by its clearly-defined method [11]. Since studying the impact of mobile phone use on postural and locomotor tasks is a recent topic, and since the tasks tested can be varied (balance and walking), a scoping review is appropriate to identify the types of available evidence, to examine how research is conducted in this fields, and to identify knowledge gaps [10]. Moreover, the extremely frequent use of a mobile phone in conjunction with daily activities makes understanding this dual task relevant for patient rehabilitation.
Our objective was to conduct a scoping review on the influence of a dual task situation – generated by the use of mobile phone – on users' postural and locomotor tasks.
Section snippets
Methods
The scoping review methodology followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI)’s recommendations in 5 steps [12].
Article selection
The PRISMA flow chart (Fig. 1) shows the results for each selection stage. The literature search identified a total of 2,940 articles on PubMed/Medline, CINHAL and in other articles’ references. After selection, 46 articles were included in the synthesis.
Year of publication
The total number of studies published on PubMed/Medline responding to the keywords used has increased steadily since 2010 (Fig. 2). For the articles included, the two most represented years were 2015 (12 articles) and 2018 (9 articles), while
Discussion
The objective of this scoping review was to review studies on the effects of mobile phone use in conjunction with a postural and locomotor task. The main effects reported in the 46 studies included were consistent, with an observed instability in postural and locomotor tasks and a slowing down of dynamic tasks (including locomotor tasks) during mobile phone use.
The use of a mobile phone during a postural-locomotor task matches the dual task situation as defined in the review by McIssaac et al. [
Conclusion
Results show that many studies have already considered the effects of mobile phone use on spatial and temporal parameters during postural and locomotor tasks. The types of mobile phone use and the tasks explored were varied, with a predominant interest in texting and walking. The studies aimed to select tasks that represent daily life, but the experiments most often took place in a controlled environment (a laboratory, a clinic) rather than a living environment (ecological setting). Similarly,
Author contributions
ND: conceptualization; investigation; methodology; review process; data analysis and interpretation; writing original draft; final approval of the version to be submitted.
AVB: conceptualization; investigation; methodology; review process; data analysis and interpretation; writing original draft; final approval of the version to be submitted.
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
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