The Impact of a Bariatric Simulation Suit on Functional Mobility in Adults Without Obesity

• Author / Creator

  Liubaoerjijin, Yilina

• Background: Functional mobility is an important factor associated with quality of life. However, it is often compromised in individuals with obesity due to changes in body function and structures. With excessive adipose tissue accumulation, some individuals have a shifted center of mass, restricted range of motion, limited relative muscle force, restricted field of vision, and altered kinesthetic feedback that can lead to poor balance. As a result, gait pattern and stride frequency are often altered in order to maintain balance and support body weight. These alterations can increase difficulties in performing functional tasks. A non-weight matched bariatric simulation suit is used for healthcare professionals to understand the functional movements of individuals with obesity. To date, there is no research that has compared the impact of a non-weight matched bariatric simulation suit on functional mobility adults with obesity.
  Objectives: The primary objective was to explore the impact of a bariatric simulation suit on functional mobility in adults without obesity :1) if the bariatric simulation suit alters the movement patterns of individuals without obesity; 2) if so, does it simulate the movement patterns of individuals with obesity? A secondary objective was to capture the participant experiences wearing the bariatric simulation suit.
  Methods: Ten students in health care professional training programs, age 18-40 years old with BMI≤25kg/m2 were recruited for the intervention group. Eight participants, age 18-40 years old with a BMI≥30kg/m2 were recruited for the control group.
  Procedures: The study included four functional tasks: walking for 5 meters, stair climbing, Timed Up and Go, and crossing obstacles. Three-dimensional kinematic data were collected with the whole-body plug-in-gait model of OptiTrack eSyn 2 with twenty-four infrared cameras. After performing the functional tasks, participants were asked to complete a semi-structured interview to reflect on the perceived difficulties of the tasks. Participants in the intervention group were asked to complete the tasks twice, with and without a bariatric simulation suit distributed by COBI Rehab, in a randomized order.
  
  Result: The bariatric simulation suit altered the gait pattern and increased the time to complete the TUG of participants without obesity during walking, stair climbing, and obstacle crossing. The bariatric simulation suit significantly decreased walking speed (p=0.021), step length (p<0.01), step height(p<0.01), and increased step width (p<0.01) during walking. For stair climbing, the bariatric simulation suit increased the step width(p<0.01) of participants without obesity. The bariatric simulation suit decreased the walking speed (p=0.01), increased step width (p<0.01) and double support time (p=0.04) during obstacle crossing. In addition, wearing the bariatric simulation suit also increased the total time (p=0.021) to complete the TUG test. Participants without obesity also found that it was more challenging to complete the tasks with the bariatric simulation suit.
  Conclusion: The bariatric simulation suit altered the functional movements of individuals without obesity. Participants without obesity also found the tasks were more challenging to complete with the bariatric simulation suit. Using three-dimensional motion capture system is an effective way to measure body movements in this type of research. This pilot study did not provide confirmation that the bariatric simulation suit was effective in representing the typical gait of people with obesity but did provide establish a protocol for a definitive future study.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Obesity
  • Bariatric Simulation suit
  • Functional Mobility

• Graduation date

  Fall 2019

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-s3gz-zk84

• License

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