Effects of lifestyle physical activity level on pedestrian circumvention in older adults: an exploratory study

This exploratory study investigates the influence of an inactive lifestyle on anticipatory locomotor adjustments (ALA) in older adults during pedestrian circumvention tasks. We hypothesized that older adults with an inactive lifestyle would exhibit more cautious ALA compared to their physically active counterparts. The study included 28 participants, divided into two groups: 14 healthy, physically active older adults (OAA) and 14 healthy, physically inactive older adults (OIA). Participants navigated a virtual environment while kinematic, electromyographic, and visual data were recorded. Results indicated that during both circumvention and unobstructed walking tasks, OIA walked significantly slower and had higher levels of muscle co-contraction around the ankle joints as compared to OAA, suggesting a compensatory mechanism aimed at enhancing joint stability. No significant differences were found between groups in terms of distance from the pedestrian at deviation onset, minimum clearance, or gaze behavior. However, OIA showed greater between-participant variability in the distance at deviation onset. Exploratory post-hoc analyses suggested a potential influence of sex within the OIA group. Overall, this exploratory study demonstrated that physical activity level influences general locomotor performance, but not key ALA variables during circumvention, except for variability in distance at deviation onset. Sex-specific factors should be considered in future research.