@article{ref1,
title="Association of dual-task walking performance and leg muscle quality in healthy children",
journal="BMC pediatrics",
year="2015",
author="Beurskens, Rainer and Muehlbauer, Thomas and Granacher, Urs",
volume="15",
number="",
pages="2-2",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Previous literature mainly introduced cognitive functions to explain performance decrements in dual-task walking, i.e., changes in dual-task locomotion are attributed to limited cognitive information processing capacities. In this study, we enlarge existing literature and investigate whether leg muscular capacity plays an additional role in children¿s dual-task walking performance.<br><br>METHODSTo this end, we had prepubescent children (mean age: 8.7¿±¿0.5 years, age range: 7¿9 years) walk in single task (ST) and while concurrently conducting an arithmetic subtraction task (DT). Additionally, leg lean tissue mass was assessed.<br><br>RESULTSFindings show that both, boys and girls, significantly decrease their gait velocity (f¿=¿0.73), stride length (f¿=¿0.62) and cadence (f¿=¿0.68) and increase the variability thereof (f¿=¿0.20-0.63) during DT compared to ST. Furthermore, stepwise regressions indicate that leg lean tissue mass is closely associated with step time and the variability thereof during DT (R 2¿=¿0.44, p¿<¿0.01). These associations between gait measures and leg lean tissue mass could not be observed for ST (R 2¿=¿0.17, p¿<¿0.19).<br><br>CONCLUSIONWe were able to show a potential link between leg muscular capacities and DT walking performance in children. We interpret these findings as evidence that higher leg muscle mass in children may mitigate the impact of a cognitive interference task on DT walking performance by inducing enhanced gait stability.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-2431",
doi="10.1186/s12887-015-0317-8",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12887-015-0317-8"
}