https://dx.doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000501">
 

Abstract

Purpose: To study how excess body weight influences the energy cost of walking (Cw) and determine if overweight and obese older adults self-select stride frequency to minimize Cw.

Methods: Using body mass index (BMI) men and women between the ages of 65–80 yr were separated into normal weight (NW, BMI ≤ 24.9 kg m−2, n = 13) and overweight-obese groups (OWOB, BMI ≥25.0 kg m−2, n = 13). Subjects walked at 0.83 m s−1 on an instrumented treadmill that recorded gait parameters, and completed three, six-minute walking trials; at preferred stride frequency (PSF), at +10% PSF, and at −10% PSF. Cw was determined by indirect calorimetry. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare groups, and associations were tested with Pearson correlations, α = 0.05.

Results: OWOB had 62% greater absolute Cw (301 ± 108 vs. 186 ± 104 J m−1, P < 0.001) and 20% greater relative Cwkg (3.48 ± 0.95 vs. 2.91 ± 0.94 J kg−1 m−1, P = 0.046) than NW. Although PSF was not different between OWOB and NW (P = 0.626), Cw was 8% greater in OWOB at +10% PSF (P < 0.001). At PSF OWOB spent less time in single-limb support (33.1 ± 1.5 vs. 34.9 ± 1.6 %GC, P = 0.021) and more time in double-limb support (17.5 ± 1.6 vs. 15.4 ± 1.4 %GC, P = 0.026) than NW. In OWOB, at PSF, Cw was correlated to impulse (r = −0.57, P = 0.027) and stride frequency (r = 0.51, P = 0.046).

Conclusions: Excess body weight is associated with greater Cw in older adults, possibly contributing to reduced mobility in overweight and obese older persons.

Department

Kinesiology

Publication Date

5-1-2015

Journal Title

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Publisher

Wolters Kluwer

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://dx.doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000501

Document Type

Article

Rights

© 2015 by the American College of Sports Medicine

Comments

The publisher's final edited version of this article is available at: https://insights.ovid.com/pubmed?pmid=25202852

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