Gait patterns of Japanese pedestrians.

Gait patterns of adult Japanese were observed while walking on a sidewalk at Fukuoka city under natural conditions on clear days during December 1987. Pedestrians were recorded by means of video recorder for eleven 1-hr observations. From the measurements of the number of steps and the time required for each subject to traverse 50 m, walking speed was calculated for 479 women and 139 men, and step length and cadence for 292 women and 117 men. The following factors were taken into account in the data analysis: footwear, accompanist, time of day, estimated age and sex. Normal values for walking speed, step length, and cadence information on present-day adult Japanese were documented. The range for the total sample was from 49 to 119 m/min in walking speed, from 51 to 91 cm in step length, and from 95 to 160 steps/min in cadence. There were no significant differences in walking speed, step length, and cadence of the women between wearing flat shoes and heeled shoes. Walking velocity and step length were greater in single walking than in group walking. As compared with the values in the daytime (10:00-15:30) velocity, step length, and cadence tended to be higher in the morning (7:30-10:00) and lower in the evening (15:30-18:00). Older people walked at a slower speed with shorter steps than younger people. For younger pedestrians no significant sex difference was observed in walking speed. Women required a higher cadence than men because of their shorter step lengths. Older men walked faster than older women.