A comparative study of gait parameters and body composition in athletes and sedentary individuals

This cross-sectional investigation was undertaken to explore and compare the potential distinctions in segmental body composition and gait characteristics-encompassing plantar pressure distribution and spatiotemporal parameters-between young male athletes engaged in dynamic, high-intensity sports (football, basketball, volleyball, and boxing) and their sedentary individuals, utilizing a gait analysis platform and a segmental body composition analyzer. The study cohort comprised 62 healthy young men, aged 16 to 25 years, of whom 32 were athletes and 30 led sedentary lifestyles. Segmental body composition was evaluated via the Jawon AVIS 333 Plus segmental body composition analyzer (Jawon Medical, Korea), while spatiotemporal and plantar pressure data were captured using the Win-Track platform. Intergroup comparisons were conducted using independent-samples t-tests or Mann–Whitney U tests, contingent upon data distribution; branch-level analyses employed one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc corrections. Effect sizes were computed to quantify the magnitude of observed differences. Athletes exhibited significantly lower percent body fat (PBF) and higher soft lean mass (SLM) in both lower extremities and trunk compared to sedentary individuals (PBF: 15.21 ± 5.47, p = 0.001, d = 0.85; Trunk SLM: 29.25 ± 3.72, p = 0.014, d = 0.64; Rt. Leg SLM: 11.42 ± 1.57, p = 0.002, d = 0.81; Lt. Leg SLM: 11.46 ± 1.54, p = 0.007, d = 0.71). Sedentary participants demonstrated higher mean oscillation velocity ( p = 0.034, d = 0.55) and greater maximum plantar pressure (right: 478.53 ± 97.47, p < 0.001, d = 1.16; left: 431.30 ± 52.88, p = 0.002, d = 0.81), indicating moderate to large effect sizes. No statistically significant differences were observed between sports branches in spatiotemporal gait parameters ( p > 0.05), although effect size estimates suggested small to moderate between-group variability. The present findings suggest that regular engagement in sports characterized by dynamic movements is associated with discernible differences in body composition and gait attributes. Compared with sedentary individuals, athletes demonstrated distinct patterns in muscle distribution, static balance-related measures, and selected spatiotemporal gait parameters. However, given the cross-sectional nature of the study, these observations should be interpreted as associations rather than causal inferences.