Investigating the Relationship between Stride Interval Dynamics, the Energy Cost of Walking, and Physical Activity Levels in a Pediatric Population

The strength of time-dependent correlations known as stride interval (SI) dynamics have been proposed as an indicator of neurologically healthy gait. Most recently, it has been hypothesized that these dynamics may be necessary for gait efficiency although the supporting evidence to date is limited. To gain a better understanding of this relationship, this study investigated stride interval dynamics, the energy cost of walking, and physical activity in a pediatric population. The findings indicate that differences in energy cost are not reflected in the stride interval dynamics of able-bodied children. Interestingly, increasing physical activity levels were associated with decreasing variance in stride interval dynamics between subjects, though this finding only approached significance (p=0.054). Lastly, this study found that stride interval dynamics in children as young as nine years were comparable to stride interval dynamics found in healthy young adults