Kong Lingyu, Zhang Zhiqi, Bao Jiawei, Zhu Xinrui, Tan Yong, Xia Xihao, Zhang Qiuxia, Hao Yuefeng
School of Physical Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
School of Mathematical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024 Jan 5;11:1297068. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1297068. eCollection 2023.
Falls and fall-related injuries in young male adults with excess weight are closely related to an increased cognitive load. Previous research mainly focuses on analyzing the postural control status of these populations performing cognitive tasks while stabilized walking progress but overlooked a specific period of walking known as gait initiation (GI). It is yet unknown the influences of cognitive load on this population's postural control status during GI. This study aimed to determine the influences of cognitive load on the center of pressure (CoP) trajectory of young male adults with excess weight during GI. A controlled laboratory study. Thirty-six male undergraduate students were recruited and divided into normal-weight, overweight, and obese groups based on their body mass index (BMI). Participants' CoP parameters during GI under single and dual-task conditions were collected by two force platforms. A mixed ANOVA was utilized to detect significant differences. Compared with the normal-weight group, the obese group showed significant changes in the duration and CoP parameters during sub-phases of GI, mainly reflecting prolonged duration, increased CoP path length, higher mediolateral CoP displacement amplitude, and decreased velocity of anteroposterior CoP displacement. During GI with 1-back task, significantly increased mediolateral CoP displacement amplitude occurred in the obese group. During GI with 2-back task, the obese group had increased CoP path length, higher mediolateral CoP displacement amplitude, as well as a decreased velocity of CoP displacement. Based on the changes in CoP parameters during GI with cognitive tasks, young male adults with excess weight, mainly obese ones, have compromised postural stability. During GI with a difficult cognitive task, obese young male adults are more susceptible to deterioration in their lateral postural balance. These findings indicate that the increased cognitive load could exacerbate obese young male adults' postural control difficulty during GI under dual-task conditions, putting them at a higher risk of experiencing incidents of falls. Based on these findings, we offer suggestions for therapists to intervene with these young male adults to ensure their safety of GI.
超重年轻男性成年人的跌倒及与跌倒相关的损伤与认知负荷增加密切相关。以往研究主要集中分析这些人群在稳定步行过程中执行认知任务时的姿势控制状态，但忽略了步行的一个特定阶段，即步态起始（GI）。认知负荷对该人群在步态起始期间姿势控制状态的影响尚不清楚。本研究旨在确定认知负荷对超重年轻男性成年人在步态起始期间压力中心（CoP）轨迹的影响。一项对照实验室研究。招募了36名男性本科生，并根据他们的体重指数（BMI）分为正常体重、超重和肥胖组。通过两个测力平台收集参与者在单任务和双任务条件下步态起始期间的CoP参数。采用混合方差分析来检测显著差异。与正常体重组相比，肥胖组在步态起始子阶段的持续时间和CoP参数有显著变化，主要表现为持续时间延长、CoP路径长度增加、中外侧CoP位移幅度增大以及前后CoP位移速度降低。在执行1-back任务的步态起始期间，肥胖组中外侧CoP位移幅度显著增加。在执行2-back任务的步态起始期间，肥胖组的CoP路径长度增加、中外侧CoP位移幅度增大以及CoP位移速度降低。基于认知任务步态起始期间CoP参数的变化，超重年轻男性成年人，主要是肥胖者，姿势稳定性受损。在执行困难认知任务的步态起始期间，肥胖年轻男性成年人更容易出现外侧姿势平衡恶化。这些发现表明，在双任务条件下，认知负荷增加会加剧肥胖年轻男性成年人在步态起始期间的姿势控制困难，使他们面临更高的跌倒风险。基于这些发现，我们为治疗师提供建议，以对这些年轻男性成年人进行干预，确保他们步态起始的安全性。
