No description available.

No description available.

Lack of physical activity in America is a major issue contributing to an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obese individuals. Goal setting and pedometers can be used to increase physical activity in inactive individuals. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate if inactive individuals can increase their physical activity by 2,000steps/day for 12 weeks with the use of pedometers and goal setting and examine if these motivational tools can help inactive individuals adhere to a long term increase in physical activity. Secondary purposes were to assess any changes in body composition, and blood pressure upon completion of the physical activity intervention and at follow-up and to investigate changes in self efficacy scores throughout the study.Pedometer measured physical activity (steps) was assessed at baseline, weekly during the 12 week physical activity intervention, and at the 24 week follow up. For the 12 week intervention, participants were asked to increase their physical activity by 2,000 steps/day from their baseline physical activity assessment. At each time frame, body composition,blood pressure and self —efficacy measurements were obtained.Thirty eight subjects (10 men, 28 women) started the study with 19 subjects (5 men, 14 women) completing the 12 week physical activity intervention. Fifty percent of participants completed (i.e., were compliant) the present study. However, only 6 individuals were capable of attaining their step goal for 75% of the 12 week (i.e., 9 of 12 weeks) physical activity intervention. Mean steps/day significantly increased from baseline to 12 weeks in individuals participating in the study. Following the physical activity intervention to the 24 week follow-up, mean steps/day significantly decreased. Significant improvements were found in weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and waist circumference from baseline to 12 weeks. A significant decrease was found from baseline to 24 weeks in the resisting relapse questions (i.e., questions 1-5) on the exercise self efficacy questionnaire.In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the majority of individuals in the present study were not capable of increasing their physical activity by 2,000 steps/day through the use of goal setting with a pedometer. Individuals who do increase their physical activity experience improvements in body composition measurements. Therefore, more motivational tools should be investigated to increase physical activity. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

The purpose of this study was to determine if increasing physical activity to 100,000 steps/week would lead to improvements in cardiovascular risk factors for the "somewhat active" to "active" population. Thirty-one subjects, 13 male (mean age 43.5 ± 14.5 years) and 18 female (mean age 38.9 ± 12.6 years) who volunteered to participate in this study completed the full 16 weeks. Subjects were eligible for the study if they were healthy, could ambulate, and their baseline activity level met the step count criteria (> 7,500 - <12,500 steps/day). Subjects underwent laboratory testing comprised of resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, body composition, blood lipid analysis, bone mineral density, and a surrogate measure of cardio-respiratory fitness, prior to and 16 weeks after completing the 100,000 steps/week intervention. After the completion of preliminary assessments, subjects were asked to wear a pedometer continuously for 16 weeks; increasing their number of steps from baseline to 100,000 steps/week. Fifty-eight percent of subjects adhered (> 90,000 steps/week) to the 100,000 steps/week physical activity program. Subjects demonstrated significant reductions in body composition measurements overtime with increased physical activity. These improvements included body mass index 27.2 ± 3.6 to 26.8 ± 3.6 kg/m2, total percent body fat 35.4 ± 9.9 to 33.9 ± 10.3%, and waist circumference 83.9 ± 10.3 to 81.6 ± 10.1cm from pre to post measurements. In conclusion, individuals already meeting minimal physical activity recommendations (i.e. somewhat active/active) can gain health benefits particularly in body composition by increasing to 100,000 steps/week with the use of a pedometer.Key Words: physical activity, pedometer, walking, weight loss, adherence, dose-response, intervention. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

A seven segment model of the right leg and foot was developed with segments: thigh, lower leg, talus, hindfoot, midfoot and lateral and medial forefoot. Three-dimensional mapping of internal structures was made from CT scans and anatomical photographs (Visible Human Project). Twelve healthy subjects performed level walking and medial walking turns at slow, preferred and fast speed. Equilibrium about the two joints of the ankle complex (ankle and subtalar), was solved using Muscle Model Assisted Optimisation (MMAO). A three component, Hill-type muscle model determined tensions in eight muscles of the lower leg using EMG. Linear optimisation then corrected muscle tensions and solved for ligament tensions and articular surface compression. MMAO was successful in modeling ankle complex equilibrium during walking and walking turn. External forces acting on the right foot were similar for all subjects. Despite similar external loading, subjects employed different muscle tension strategies to produce equilibrium about the ankle and subtalar joints. For all subjects, triceps surae muscle tensions were largest. Peak tension in achilles tendon was 7.9xBW during walking and 8.0xBW during walking turn. The two heads of gastrocnernius behaved as distinct muscles performing different roles during stance. Peroneus brevis produced movement about the subtalar joint while peroneus longus had a stabilising role. The dorsi-flexors were significantly active during stance phase, antagonistic to triceps surae muscle group. This antagonism has not been predicted by previous models. Ligaments acted in an all-or-nothing manner when constraining the ankle complex. Ligaments were either slack or tensed at constant tension. Maximum ligament tension was 1.75xBW in the lateral ligaments of the ankle joint during walking turn. No difference between the walking and walking turn was seen in compressive loading of articular surfaces. Maximum compression of ankle joint was 10.0xBW and of subtalar joint was 8.0xBW.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to biomechanically analyze the walking gait and knee motion of 19 female subjects. The gait and knee motions were studied under three conditions: (a) barefoot, (b) running shoes, and (c) high heeled shoes. Cinematographic and electrogoniometric techniques were used to obtain the data. An ANOVA and a Tukey post hoc statistical test (p < .05) were used to determine significance. Based on the findings of this study, significant decreases were found in: (a) the step length, (b) the horizontal distance from the center of gravity to the toe at heel strike, (c) the maximum flexion during the swing phase, (d) the range of valgus-varus motion during a step, and (e) the internal-external rotation during the swing phase in the high heeled shoe condition compared to the barefoot and running shoe conditions.

Imagine the anatomy of architecture as a complex system, where the form is the result of generative processes, the material properties of the components, and their patterns of assembly. Within this paradigm, surface is that part of the system which exchanges energy, information, and materials with the local environment. How does human occupation of a space offer energy, information, or material to the system-building, and how can the surface best vector these exchanges? Walking could represent human occupation in this context. I choose my walker’s lineage and declare my interest, as an architect, in empathetic space. I explore the history of bipedalism, of the path as an architectural object, and of the sciences, philosophies and poetries of walkers. And I browse through contemporary architectural discourse pertaining to emergent design methodologies. Along the way, I test my proposal in two experiments: one complete, and one in progress...

Thesis (M. Nurs.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-98).

The recovery strategies after a trip vary depending on several conditions. The location, timing, and magnitude of the trip are determining factors as well as the speed of the subject when the trip occurs. Previous studies focused on the trip and the recovery without systematically varying the walking speed. Individuals at high risk of falls alter their walking speed in an effort to be more stable in case of a trip. However, no studies to date have analyzed the recovery strategies when walking faster and slower than preferred. Using a treadmill and a specially designed tripping device allows for subjects to be unsuspectingly tripped at different times and different speeds while measuring kinematic and EMG responses. The tripping device included a cuff attached to the left ankle of the subject and would stop the left ankle when signaled by the experimenter. From these findings we can infer that slower walking does aid in trip recovery. Although a more robust study should be performed to confirm the consistency of these findings across multiple populations, it seems that slower walking does aid in trip recovery. / text