NeuroSpine Surgery Research Group (NSURG), Randwick 2031, Australia.
Wearable and Gait Assessment Research Group (WAGAR), Prince of Wales Private Hospital, Randwick 2031, Australia.
Sensors (Basel). 2024 Oct 9;24(19):6484. doi: 10.3390/s24196484.
Gait analysis is a vital tool for evaluating overall health and predicting outcomes such as mortality and cognitive decline. This study explores how normal and obese BMI categories impact gait dynamics, addressing gaps in understanding the effect of body composition on specific gait parameters.
The primary objective is to investigate differences in spatiotemporal gait parameters-specifically, gait speed, step length, cadence, and double support time-between normal and obese BMI groups to understand the effects of obesity on gait.
This observational case-control study analyzed spatiotemporal gait metrics from 163 participants, using inertial measurement units (IMUs) to collect data on various gait parameters. Statistical analyses explored the relationship between BMI categories and these metrics.
No significant differences were found in gait speed, cadence, stride duration, or double support time between the normal and obese groups. However, significant differences were identified in age, hypertension prevalence, balance problems, and the incidence of falls, emphasizing the complex effects of obesity on factors influencing gait stability.
This study contributes to our understanding of obesity's impact on gait by highlighting the need to consider associated health and stability parameters. These findings prompt a re-evaluation of how BMI is integrated into clinical gait assessments and emphasize the necessity for personalized healthcare strategies. This research highlights the importance of future studies with larger, more diverse populations and a wider array of biomechanical measures to dissect the relationship between BMI, body composition, and gait dynamics.
步态分析是评估整体健康状况和预测死亡率和认知能力下降等结果的重要工具。本研究探讨了正常和肥胖 BMI 类别如何影响步态动力学，旨在解决理解身体成分对特定步态参数影响方面的空白。
主要目的是研究正常和肥胖 BMI 组之间的时空步态参数（具体为步态速度、步长、步频和双支撑时间）差异，以了解肥胖对步态的影响。
本观察性病例对照研究使用惯性测量单元（IMU）分析了 163 名参与者的时空步态指标，以收集各种步态参数的数据。统计分析探讨了 BMI 类别与这些指标之间的关系。
正常和肥胖组之间的步态速度、步频、步幅时间或双支撑时间没有显著差异。然而，在年龄、高血压患病率、平衡问题和跌倒发生率方面存在显著差异，强调了肥胖对影响步态稳定性的因素的复杂影响。
本研究通过强调需要考虑相关的健康和稳定性参数，为我们理解肥胖对步态的影响做出了贡献。这些发现促使我们重新评估如何将 BMI 纳入临床步态评估，并强调了制定个性化医疗保健策略的必要性。本研究强调了未来研究的重要性，这些研究需要更大、更多样化的人群和更广泛的生物力学测量，以剖析 BMI、身体成分和步态动力学之间的关系。
