Gender and Stature Effects on Cervical Flexion During Smartphone Use in Walking and Stair Tasks

This study examined head flexion (HF) and neck flexion (NF) during smartphone use under walking and stair tasks, considering gender and stature. Forty-two young adults performed seven walking, stair, backpack (10% body weight), and texting tasks. Motion capture and three-way ANOVA showed that HF and NF increased significantly with task complexity, attaining peak mean values of 49.5° and 52.3°, respectively, by 5th-percentile females during stair descent with a backpack and while texting. Females and shorter participants consistently demonstrated greater cervical flexion ( p < .001), indicating increased musculoskeletal loading during smartphone multitasking and thus support ergonomic interventions to reduce safety risks.