Associations of obesity with balance and gait among young adults in Bangladesh

Rajib Mondal, Palash Chandra Banik, Rani Baroi Ritu, Saidur Rahman Mashreky, Mohammad Mostafa Zaman
2021 Journal of Xiangya Medicine  
Obesity decreases balance capacity and impairs gait quality of an individual, mostly the older ones. We aimed to investigate the associations of obesity with balance and gait among young adults, which are quite limited. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 60 obese [body mass index (BMI) ≥30.0 kg/m 2 ] and normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 ) young adults (aged 20-40 years) in Dhaka city. The sex-matched normal weight participants were deliberately
more » ... d equal as many as obese (1:1) using a convenience sampling method. Functional reach test for the forward balance, and footprint method for step length, step width and foot angle in terms of spatio-temporal characteristics of gait, and a clinical assessment for gait abnormalities were executed to assess overall balance and gait. The outcomes were the lower forward balance and step length, and higher step width and foot angle for those who (for both groups) had respective values < mean − 1SD and > mean + 1SD, respectively, compared to the sex-specific cutoff points as the references (≥ mean − 1SD and ≤ mean + 1SD, respectively) derived from normal weight participants. Both univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Age-and occupation-adjusted odds of lower forward balance was 8.9 (95% CI: 2.5-32.4) times; occupation-adjusted odds of lower step length and higher foot angle were 7.7 (95% CI: 2.2-27.8) and 142.3 (95% CI: 12.1-1,667.1) times, respectively; and unadjusted higher step width was 91.0 (95% CI: 15.4-539.3) times statistically significantly higher in obese, compared with normal weight participants. Conclusion: Obesity is substantially associated with balance and gait among young adults in Bangladesh.
doi:10.21037/jxym-21-19 fatcat:deiumhztxza2zmwlq5worwniiy