The impact of obesity on gait stability in older adults

Abstract

Obesity increases fall risk, and fall-related injuries in older adults. While prior work suggests obesity influences postural stability during standing, little is known about how obesity affects walking stability. Therefore, this study compared walking stability in older adults with and without obesity. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to evaluate the associations between measures of body habitus and gait stability as well as the association between prospective stumbles and falls and gait stability. A total of 34 older adults (17 with obesity, 17 with normal weight) walked on a treadmill at a self-selected speed. Walking stability was quantified as the local dynamic stability of the trunk in all three planes of motion. Participants also performed a series of functional tests, and were followed for a one-year period during which they reported falls and stumbles. Although participants with obesity performed significantly worse than participants without obesity on most functional tests, there were no differences in stability between groups in any direction (p = 0.18–0.78; η2 = 0.003–0.056), nor between those with and without a prospective fall or stumble (p = 0.18–0.93; η2 = 0.003–0.054). There were significant, albeit weak, correlations between BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio and walking instability (p = 0.027–0.042; ρ = 0.36–0.39). Increased body mass, in absence of other obesity-related comorbidities, may have minimum impact on walking stability and in turn fall risk in older adults.