title: The effects of 10% front load carriage on the likelihood of slips and falls.
abstract: The objective of the present study was to evaluate if anterior load carriage would increase the likelihood of slips or falls while walking over a slippery floor surface. The study hypothesized that anterior load carriage may alter spatial-temporal characteristics, such as heel contact velocity, walking velocity (i.e., the whole body center-of-mass velocity), and step length, as well as friction demand characteristics at shoe-floor interface. Additionally, the study hypothesized that alterations in these gait parameters may influence slip initiation characteristics while ambulating over a slippery floor surface. Total of 10 subjects participated in the study: 5 younger (18-28 yr old) and 5 older adults (65 and older). A mixture was used to manipulate the coefficient of friction (COF) of the floor surface. All participants were unexpectedly introduced to a slippery surface while walking with and without a load. To evaluate slip severity, slip distance I and II were evaluated to assess whether a subject fell or not. Three-way repeated measure ANOVA (mix-factor design) was performed: Age factor: between-subject, Load and Floor factors: within-subject. Overall, older adults' heel contact velocity was slower while carrying a load. Additionally, all participants exhibited shorter SL while carrying a load. No significant friction demand characteristic differences were observed for all subjects while carrying a 10% front load. The results from the present study suggest that carrying 10% of the body weight in front should not intensify the slip propensity and severity although appears to influence spatial-temporal gait characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Human Factors and Ergonomics Lab, Industrial Engineering and Technology, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX 75428, USA.
authors.forename: Sukwon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Thurmon E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Lockhart
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D017276:Friction; D006365:Heel / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D016474:Weight-Bearing