Dual-task costs of texting while walking forward and backward are greater for older adults than younger adults.

Dual-task costs of texting while walking forward and backward are greater for older adults than younger adults.
Hum Mov Sci. 2020 Jun;71:102619
Authors: Belur P, Hsiao D, Myers PS, Earhart GM, Rawson KS
Abstract
Cognitive-motor dual-tasking involves concurrent performance of two tasks with distinct cognitive and motor demands and is associated with increased fall risk. In this hypothesis-driven study, younger (18-30 years, n = 24) and older (60-75 years, n = 26) adults completed six walking tasks in triplicate. Participants walked forward and backward along a GAITRite mat, in isolation or while performing a verbal fluency task. Verbal fluency tasks involved verbally listing or typing on a smartphone as many words as possible within a given category (e.g., clothes). Using repeated measures MANOVA models, we examined how age, method of fluency task (verbal or texting), and direction of walking altered dual-task performance. Given that tasks like texting and backward walking require greater cognitive resources than verbal and forward walking tasks, respectively, we hypothesized older adults would show higher dual-task costs (DTCs) than younger adults across different task types and walking directions, with degree of impairment more apparent in texting dual-task trials compared to verbal dual-task trials. We also hypothesized that both age groups would have greater DTCs while walking backward than while walking forward, regar...

Source: Human Movement Science - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Belur P, Hsiao D, Myers PS, Earhart GM, Rawson KS Tags: Hum Mov Sci Source Type: research