Quantifying the cadence of free-living walking using event-based analysis

Granat, MH; Clarke, C; Holdsworth, R; Stansfield, B; Dall, P

Abstract

Purpose: Free-living walking occurs over a wide range of durations and intensities (cadence). Therefore,
its characterisation requires a full description of the distribution of duration and cadence of these
walking events. The aim was to use event-based analysis to characterise this in a population with
intermittent claudication (IC) and a healthy matched control group.
Methods: Seven-day walking activity was recorded using the activPAL activity monitor in a group of
people with IC (n = 30) and an age-matched control group (n = 30). The cadence, number of steps and
duration of individual walking events were calculated and outcomes were derived, and compared
(p < 0.05), based on thresholds applied.
Results: Both groups had similar number of walking events per day (392 ± 117 vs 415 ± 160). The control
group accumulated a greater proportion of their walking at higher cadences and 32% of their steps were taken
at a cadence above 100 steps/min, for the IC group this was 20%. Longer walking events had higher cadences
and the IC group had fewer of these. As walking events became longer the cadence increased but the interevent
cadence variability decreased. More purposeful walking might occur at a higher cadence, and be
performed at a preferred cadence. Individuals with IC had a smaller volume of walking, but these differences
occurred almost entirely above a cadence of 90 steps/min.
Conclusions: This is the first study which has quantified the cadence of continuous periods of free-living
walking. The characteristics (duration, number of steps and cadence) of all the individual walking events
were used to derive novel outcomes, providing new insights into free-living walking behaviour.

Citation

Granat, M., Clarke, C., Holdsworth, R., Stansfield, B., & Dall, P. (2015). Quantifying the cadence of free-living walking using event-based analysis. Gait & Posture, 42(1), 85-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.04.012

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 20, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Apr 28, 2015
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jul 7, 2015
• Journal: Gait & Posture
• Print ISSN: 0966-6362
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-2219
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 85-90
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.04.012
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.04.012
• Related Public URLs: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09666362