The Association of physical activity and physical fitness with gait speed in female university students

Purpose: Associations of gait speed with physical activity and physical fitness are well studied in population of older adults, but such studies are lacking in the population of young adults. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the association between 1) physical activity and gait speed 2) physical fitness components and gait speed. Methods: A total of 198 first- and second-year female students (age 19.28 ± .98 years; stature 166 ± 6.3 cm; body weight 62.37 ± 11.8 kg; body-mass index (BMI) 22.68 ± 4.22 kg/m2) attending university were recruited. To assess gait speed, we used a 4-meter gait speed test. To assess muscle fitness, we used to stand broad jump was used and to assess motor fitness we used 4×10-meter shuttle run test. We used International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) to assess the level of physical activity. Results: Univariate regression analysis showed that only 4×10 m shuttle run test was associated with gait speed (β= - .021). In unadjusted multivariate regression analysis model only 4×10 m shuttle run test (β= - .034) was associated with gait speed. In a model adjusted for body-mass index and age only 4×10-meter shuttle run test (β= - .033) was associated with gait speed. Conclusions: Our study shows a significant association between motor fitness and gait speed in female university students. Those with low levels of motor fitness should be included in exercise programs to enhance their fitness and prevent any potential gait abnormalities