Walking Behaviour of Individuals with Intermittent Claudication Compared to Matched Controls in Different Locations:...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Physical Activity Research
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Intermittent claudication (IC) is associated with reduced physical activity.
• The impact of location (home vs. away, indoors vs. outdoors) on walking behavior in IC is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare physical activity levels, specifically walking behavior, between individuals with IC and matched controls.
• To investigate how location (distance from home, indoor/outdoor) influences walking patterns in IC.

Main Methods:

• Participants (n=56) with IC and matched controls wore activity monitors (activPAL) and GPS devices for 7 days.
• GPS data classified walking events by location (at/away from home) and environment (indoors/outdoors).
• Mixed model ANOVAs compared walking events, duration, steps, and cadence between groups and locations.

Main Results:

• Individuals with IC exhibited significantly less walking time and fewer steps than controls across all locations, including at home.
• Both groups spent more time and took more steps walking away from home compared to at home.
• Walking behavior was similar for indoor and outdoor environments for both groups.
• The locus of activity (distance from home) was significantly smaller for individuals with IC.

Conclusions:

• Reduced physical capacity alone does not fully explain the lower walking behavior in IC.
• Factors such as social isolation may contribute to the restricted locus of activity observed in individuals with IC.