Energy cost of walking in normal children and teenagers

Oxygen consumption during free level walking was determined in 114 children and teenaged subjects between the ages of 6 and 19 years and compared with a group of 47 normal adults. Subjects were divided into two age groups: children (6-12 years) and adolescents (13-19 years). The mean rate of oxygen uptake for children was significantly greater, 15.3 ml/kg/min, than the value for teenaged subjects, 12.9 ml/kg/min. The oxygen cost to walk a unit distance (meter) was higher in children than adolescent subjects. The mean values averaged .22 ml/kg/min and .18 ml/kg/min respectively. The data on heart rate paralleled the findings on oxygen consumption. The mean heart rate for children, 114 beats per minute (bpm), was significantly higher than the mean values for adolescent subjects, 97 bpm.