RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Morphological Influences and Energetic Walking Flexibility in Determining Preferred vs. Optimal Speeds: An Evolutionary Human Ecology Perspective on Children and Adolescents
A1 Zorrilla Revilla, Guillermo
A1 Prado‐Nóvoa, Olalla
A1 Davy, Kevin P.
A1 García González, Rebeca
A1 Laskaridou, Eleni
A1 Howard, Kristen R.
A1 Marinik, Elaina L.
A1 Carretero Díaz, José Miguel
A1 Volpe, Stella L.
K1 Anthropometry
K1 Children
K1 Human behavioral ecology
K1 Human bioenergetics
K1 Hunter-gatherers
K1 Optimal locomotion speed
K1 Locomoción
K1 Human locomotion
K1 Biomecánica
K1 Human mechanics
AB 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.
PB Wiley
SN 2692-7691
YR 2025
FD 2025-11
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11052
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11052
LA eng
NO 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.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Burgos
RD 23-abr-2026