INTRODUCTION

Obesity may limit the extent to which individuals participate in activities of daily living and exercise programs (Messier et al., 1994). Overall, obese individuals tend to walk at a slower velocity than non-obese individuals (Spyropoulos et al, 1991). One explanation is that they take smaller strides in order to maintain better body balance. The effort of the obese individuals to maintain body balance is confirmed by high values of their step widths (Spyropoulos et al., 1991). Other consequences of obesity are more inconsistent patterns of rotation at all joints, which can result in early knee osteoarthritis (Felson et al., 1988).

The purpose of this study is to compare the gait between an obese and a non-obese college-aged male. We expect that differences may exist in stride length, center of mass, and base of support due to the excess weight placed on the hip, knee, and ankle joints.