Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.
Interuniversity Center for Healthy Aging, Curico 3340000, Chile.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 29;19(7):4064. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074064.
Postural balance and gait are important factors in the functional status of older people; however, few studies have addressed differences by sex. The objective of this study was to analyze the postural balance and temporal−spatial parameters of gait in independent older adults by sex. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Thirty-eight independent older women (69 ± 5 years), and 33 men (71 ± 5 years) were evaluated. The postural balance test with open and closed eyes was performed on two surfaces (hard/soft) on a force platform. Gait was recorded with cameras to analyze cycle duration and speed, step length, stride length, and foot clearance. The area of postural balance was greater in men in all tests (p < 0.001). Foot clearance height and cycle duration were lower in women (p < 0.05). Men showed a negative correlation between the area of balance and gait parameters. In women, a positive correlation was observed between foot clearance and balance with eyes closed. The postural balance and gait suggest discrepancies by sex, showing that older men behave differently according to the requirement of the motor task compared to women. These findings suggest being corroborated in more complex studies in the future.
姿势平衡和步态是老年人功能状态的重要因素；然而，很少有研究涉及到性别差异。本研究的目的是分析独立老年人的姿势平衡和步态时间-空间参数按性别划分的情况。进行了一项横断面研究。评估了 38 名独立的老年女性（69±5 岁）和 33 名男性（71±5 岁）。在力台上的两个表面（硬/软）上进行睁眼和闭眼的姿势平衡测试。使用摄像机记录步态，以分析周期持续时间和速度、步长、跨步长度和足廓清。在所有测试中，男性的姿势平衡面积均大于女性（p<0.001）。女性的足廓清高度和周期持续时间较低（p<0.05）。男性的平衡面积与步态参数呈负相关。而在女性中，闭眼时的平衡与足廓清之间存在正相关。姿势平衡和步态表现出性别差异，表明与女性相比，老年男性在根据运动任务的要求表现出不同的行为。这些发现表明在未来需要进行更复杂的研究来加以证实。
