2026-04-23T00:41:24Zhttps://riubu.ubu.es/oai/requestoai:riubu.ubu.es:10259/110522025-11-14T01:05:34Zcom_10259.4_2551com_10259_5086com_10259_2604col_10259.4_2552
Zorrilla Revilla, Guillermo
1887e233-d2b3-40b5-943b-159c178317b8
600
Prado‐Nóvoa, Olalla
0abbe093-3612-497e-bbaf-8433c2c2432d
Davy, Kevin P.
cf8a8b5c-0378-49dd-af40-739a8383765c
García González, Rebeca
204
600
0000-0002-1035-6655
Laskaridou, Eleni
5fdd8f19-5170-4a8f-a1a7-08f329050d70
Howard, Kristen R.
e9b884fd-0e46-42e6-887a-d149785fdfaa
Marinik, Elaina L.
db97b2db-a905-4bfe-8b3e-7a2bc7f61508
Carretero Díaz, José Miguel
106
600
0000-0003-0409-8087
Volpe, Stella L.
14aca22a-c295-40da-8f41-e68579a956a1
2025-11-13T09:24:38Z
2025-11-13T09:24:38Z
2025-11
2692-7691
https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11052
10.1002/ajpa.70152
2692-7691
Objectives:
Locomotion is fundamental to the survival of our species. The most comfortable walking speed may be the most efficient for allocating conserved energy for other functions. However, whether preferred (PLS) and optimal (OLS) speeds align in children and adolescents remains unclear. This study aimed to determine whether OLS and PLS are similar in children and adolescents and how anthropometry influences both speeds and their differences.
Materials and Methods:
Eleven females and 17 males (8–17 years of age) were anthropometrically characterized. Five treadmill walking pace tests were used to identify the OLS and U-shaped relationship between energy expenditure and speed (χ2 CoT), indicating walking flexibility. Additionally, PLS was self-selected using the same protocol. Differences between OLS and PLS were calculated (mean difference [MD]).
Results:
No significant sex differences in anthropometry and speed-related variables were found. OLS, PLS, and their MD in the pooled sample were 3.05 ± 0.13, 2.46 ± 0.51, and 0.60 ± 0.46, respectively, with significant differences between OLS and PLS (p < 0.0001). Femur length (FL), Bi-iliac breadth (BIL), and χ2 CoT explained variance in OLS, PLS, and MD, respectively, in the forward stepwise regression models.
Discussion:
Unlike adults, OLS and PLS are not interchangeable in children and adolescents. Participants with lower χ2 CoT (greater flexibility) can select comfortable speeds farther from OLS without energetic penalty. Taller individuals with longer femurs and wider hips might have biomechanical advantages in reaching higher OLS and PLS, but this reduces flexibility. These traits, along with the growth and development pattern of Homo sapiens, may reflect evolutionary advantages relevant to interspecies competition.
G.Z.R. benefited from Margarita Salas's postdoctoral grants program funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities and the European Union - Next Generation EU and FSE+ [JDC2023-051295-I] funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. O.P.N. was funded by a Virginia Tech Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship (2022-2024). K.H.R. was funded by a Virginia Tech Translational Obesity Research Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program Predoctoral Fellowship.
application/pdf
eng
Wiley
American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 2025, V. 188, n. 3, e70152
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70152
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023/JDC2023-051295-I/ES/Ayudas Juan de la Cierva-GUILLERMO ZORRILLA REVILLA/
Atribución 4.0 Internacional
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Anthropometry
Children
Human behavioral ecology
Human bioenergetics
Hunter-gatherers
Optimal locomotion speed
Locomoción
Biomecánica
Human locomotion
Human mechanics
Morphological Influences and Energetic Walking Flexibility in Determining Preferred vs. Optimal Speeds: An Evolutionary Human Ecology Perspective on Children and Adolescents
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
American Journal of Biological Anthropology
188
3
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Zorrilla-ajba_2025.pdf
Zorrilla-ajba_2025.pdf
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oai:riubu.ubu.es:10259/11052
2025-11-14 02:05:34.593
Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Burgos
bubrep@ubu.es
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