A Systematic Review of the Influence of Overweight and Obesity across the Lifespan on Obstacle Crossing during Walking

Abstract

This study aimed to systematically review and summarize the available data regarding the influence of overweight and obesity across the lifespan on obstacle crossing during walking. Four databases were systematically searched with no limitation on publication date following the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews and PRISMA guidelines. Only full-text English-language articles published in a peer-reviewed journal were eligible. They had to compare obstacle crossing during walking by overweight or obese individuals with individuals of normal body weight. Five studies were considered eligible. All the studies assessed kinematics; only one assessed kinetics, but none investigated muscle activity or obstacle contact. Compared to normal individuals crossing obstacles, overweight or obese individuals exhibited lower velocity, shorter step length, lower cadence, and less time spent in single-limb support. They also exhibited increased step width, more time spent in double support, and greater trailing leg ground force reaction and centre of mass acceleration. Overall, the small number of included studies did not allow us to draw any conclusions. However, being overweight or obese seems to have a potentially negative influence on the kinematics of gait parameters due to a tendency to trip, fall, and suffer severe fall-related injuries when negotiating obstacles on foot in real-life environments.

Reliability of Obstacle-Crossing Parameters during Overground Walking in Young Adults

“…At this point, it is important to mention that, fully in line with the scientific roadmap we have set up to assess the intra-session reliability of the 10 m walk test [ 2 ], we focused on young healthy adults as a first step to provide normative reference values for a young healthy population (e.g., see [ 67 , 68 , 69 ]). Naturally, the reliability must now be further tested in other populations with different socio-demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics, including individuals who are overweight or obese (e.g., see [ 70 ] for a review), children, adolescents, middle age, and the elderly (e.g., see [ 71 ] for a review), and pathological populations (e.g., see [ 72 , 73 , 74 ] for reviews) who may also present different levels of fatigue (e.g., see [ 75 ] for a review) or physical fitness (e.g., see [ 76 ] for a review).…”