Using cadence to study free-living ambulatory behaviour

Area of Science:

• Physical activity and public health
• Biomechanical analysis of gait
• Wearable technology in health research

Background:

• Physically active lifestyles are crucial for health across the lifespan.
• Ambulatory activity, specifically walking, is a key behavior to measure and promote.
• Public health guidelines emphasize activity intensity, necessitating methods to assess free-living ambulatory intensity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of using cadence (steps/minute) to represent free-living ambulatory activity patterns.
• To explore cadence as a metric for both ambulatory performance and behavior.
• To bridge scientific findings with practical applications in health and fitness.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on cadence and walking intensity.
• Analysis of spatio-temporal gait parameters, including cadence.
• Utilization of data from accelerometers and large-scale surveys like NHANES.

Main Results:

• Normal laboratory walking cadence ranges: 96-138 steps/minute for women, 81-135 steps/minute for men.
• A strong correlation (r=0.93) exists between mean cadence and activity intensity (METs).
• 100 steps/minute is a heuristic for moderate intensity (≥3 METs), but US adults rarely achieve this in free-living conditions, spending most of their time at lower cadences.

Conclusions:

• Cadence is a sensitive and easily interpretable metric for assessing walking behavior and intensity.
• It offers potential for epidemiological studies, interventions, and clinical practice.
• Targeting cadence, potentially through music tempo, could be an effective intervention strategy.