Dr. Zorba Paster: Using a phone while walking is hazardous to your health

Walk down the street anywhere in the world and you’ll see people staring at their cellphones. How many times have you almost bumped into them because they’re walking and using the phone?

Walking and reading. Walking and texting. Walking and gaming. Walking and whatever. New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at the rise in head and neck injuries from this stupid behavior.

Statisticians reviewed 2,500 emergency room visits from 1998 – when cellphone use first started to be ubiquitous – through 2017. Over that time, there was a steady rise in injuries. Better screens meant more injuries.

But listen up, there were other factors, too. Pokemon Go produced a huge spike in trauma. This augmented reality mobile game requires players to track animated characters in real-life locations. It’s a modern version of the scavenger hunt using cellphones to do the tracking too often with a bad outcome.

When people pay more attention to the phone than to their surroundings, it can end up in a visit to the ER. Cuts, abrasions, bruises, internal injuries, trauma to the eye and ear – all awful stuff from staring at the screen while walking.

My spin: We know you shouldn’t text while driving. But using the phone while walking might be nearly as hazardous. Pedestrian deaths are on the rise from both sides of the equation – distracted driving and pedestrian cellphone use stupidity. Think before you pick up that cellphone.

Incentives to stop smoking

Now, on to a study I want to share with you concerning incentive-based efforts to address the problem of smoking by pregnant women, especially low-income moms-to-be.

First off, for years I’ve wondered why low-income people are more likely to smoke. Why spend $8 a pack every day, or $3,000 a year, on something everyone knows can kill you? I’ve never seen an explanation for this.

But for pregnant women, it’s even more important to stop smoking. No smoking means a healthier baby, one that is not as likely to end up in the neonatal intensive care unit, be a low birthweight baby or have other health problems upon delivery.

Researchers in Colorado developed a fascinating education and incentive program. In that state, smoking in the third trimester of pregnancy is four times more likely for women who live in poverty.

Each expectant mom in the program was counseled throughout the pregnancy and postpartum (half of all women who stop smoking during pregnancy go back after the baby is born). This included biofeedback, carbon monoxide breath testing (when you smoke your CO level goes up) and the novel financial incentive: diaper coupons.

That’s right. If they stopped smoking, proven by CO levels going down, they got free diapers.

The result was a 55% reduction in neonatal ICU visits among women in this program. The state saved $4 million in health expenses with this simple method.

Now, here is the fascinating thing: Look at the incentive. It’s actually a double incentive. Stop smoking means stop spending money on cancer-causing tobacco products and save money on diapers, too.

My spin: If you know a smoker. you might want to set up your own incentive program. If it’s a smoking mom, why not offer to pay for diapers when the baby is born? Stay well.

Dr. Zorba Paster is a family physician and host of the public radio program “Zorba Paster on Your Health.” He can be reached at askzorba@doctorzorba.com.