The Heart Rate of Blind and Sighted Pedestrians on a Town Route

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Abstract
The heart rate of six matched pairs of blind and sighted subjects was telemetered as they walked over an unfamiliar town route on five consecutive occasions. Their resting heart rate was recorded for 2 min prior to each walk and for 5 min after. In addition the average heart rate for five 24-hour periods was obtained for each subject. The 24-hour recordings revealed no significant difference between the blind and sighted subjects. However, differences were found on the route. The two sets of subjects showed no significant difference in rate for the 2 min prior to the route, but both showed a significant fall in rate over the first few sessions. On the route there was a significant difference between blind and sighted subjects, and a significant fall in rate as the sessions continued. This fall was most marked in the case of the blind subjects, who also showed greater consistency of rate over sub-sections of the route. A significant blind-sighted difference was again found in the 5 min resting after the route walk. It is concluded that a blind-sighted difference has been demonstrated which was probably due to psychological rather than physical stress. The results are discussed as a first step in a method of assessing the degree to which blind mobility aids reduce user stress. Some ‘ideal’ criteria for assessing the efficiency and stress reduction of aids are suggested.