Sleep quality is known to affect automatic and executive brain functions such as gait control and cognitive processing. This study aimed to assess the effect of dual tasks on gait spatiotemporal parameters among young adults with good and poor sleep quality in the United Arab Emirates. In total, 65 young adults with a mean age of 21.1±2.5 were assessed for gait analysis during single-task and dual-task conditions. The participants’ sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and gait was assessed using the BTS Gaitlab System. The participants were asked to walk at natural speed as a single-task condition, followed by walking while performing a cognitive task as a dual-task condition. The parameters assessed included the gait velocity (m/s), cadence (steps/min), step width (m), and stride length (m). The DTC on each gait parameter was calculated. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the differences in the DTC on gait variables between the good and poor sleep quality groups, and the Spearman correlation test was used to assess the correlation between total PSQI scores and the DTC. At a significance level of p<0.05, a significant difference in cadence between the two sleep quality groups was observed, in addition to a positive correlation between sleep quality and the DTC effect on gait mean velocity, cadence, and stride length. Our findings also revealed a greater DTC on participants with poorer sleep quality. These findings contribute to our understanding of the significance of sleep quality in gait performance while multitasking in younger populations.

(1) Background: Foot strike pattern and cadence are two important variables that are related to sport performance and injury risks; the objective of this study is to analyse the foot strike pattern and cadence of the male elite athlete that participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games marathon. (2) Methods: Two independent researchers analysed the foot strike pattern of the first 51 participants in the 5km, and the cadence of the finalists in three different segments of the race. Descriptive statistics were presented for the main variables of this study. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to study the differences in cadence between different sections of the race (p<0.05). (3) Results: Average of the cadence of the eight finalists was 185.5 steps per minute (SD ± 5.1). No differences between sections of the race were found. The more most common foot strike pattern was midfoot strike pattern, followed by rearfoot strike pattern, and forefoot strike pattern. The results of cadence are in line with previous studies that analysed elite athletes, with the values being higher than other research involving recreational runners. (4) Conclusions: elite marathon runners mostly run with a running non-rearfoot strike pattern and a cadence of over 185 steps per minute.

Understanding the motor patterns underlying the movement of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is fundamental to the effective targeting of non-pharmacological therapies. This study aims to analyze the gait pattern in relation to the evolutionary stage between I-II and III-IV according to the Hoehn and Yahr scale (H&Y) in people affected by PD. The study was conducted with the participation of 37 PD patients, with a mean age of 70.09±9.53 years, and of whom 48.64% were women. The inclusion criteria were: 1. To be diagnosed with PD; 2. To be in an evolutionary stage of the disease of between I and IV and; 3. To be able to walk independently and without any assistance. Kinematic and spatial-temporal parameters of the gait were analyzed. The results show differences in speed of movement, cadence, stride length, support duration, swing duration, step width, walking cycle duration and double support time between the stages analyzed. These results confirm the differences in PD gait pattern between stages I-II and III-IV. Different behaviors of the same variable were recorded depending on whether the right or left sides were affected by PD.