Sex Differences in the Stride Frequency of Walking while Carrying a Toddler Manikin

Our specific goal was to determine whether women and men carrying a toddler-sized manikin on their hip or their shoulders choose different stride frequencies at a given speed when asked to walk around the perimeter of a gym at moderate to brisk walking speeds. To determine how child-carrying affects the free walking gait choices of adults as a function of sex and task, we calculated the walking speed of 6 females and 6 males as they walked around the perimeter of a gym while performing 6 tasks in a randomized order. When speed directive was accounted for, females walked faster than males (p=0.001), and this effect was only enhanced by including body mass in the regression model (i.e. body mass differences could not explain the sex difference in walking speed). At a given walking speed, females used higher stride frequencies than males (p