The Effects of Overweight and Obesity on Obstacle Crossing During Walking: Protocol for a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are significant global health concerns that involve deficits in gait and balance that affect daily activities. Although much is reported about the effect of overweight and obesity on gait during unobstructed walking, not much is known about how overweight and obesity could impact gait under more challenging conditions, such as environments with obstacles. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to systematically review and synthesize the available data regarding the effects of overweight and obesity on obstacle crossing during walking. METHODS: This review will follow the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus will be systematically searched with no limitations on publication date. Only full-text English-language articles published in a peer-reviewed journal will be included. Included articles must have compared obstacle crossing during walking in individuals with overweight or obesity to individuals of normal body weight. A total of 2 independent reviewers will select the articles and extract the following 4 sets of data: (1) study characteristics, (2) sample description, (3) obstacle crossing task protocol, and (4) main results obtained. If a considerable number of homogeneous papers are included, a meta-analysis will be conducted. A preliminary search was conducted in November 2021. RESULTS: The results will include the article selection flowchart as well as tables and figures synthesizing the extracted data on the effects of overweight and obesity on obstacle crossing during walking. The preliminary search identified 73 original records, of which 5 articles met the inclusion criteria. CONCLUSIONS: This review will present researchers and clinicians with an overview of published studies that have compared the performance of obstacle crossing for individuals with overweight and obesity to those of normal body weight. Gaining insight into the control strategies adopted by individuals with overweight and obesity is critical for safe and successful obstacle crossing in this population. We therefore believe that our findings could be useful for identifying people at risk of falls and developing and implementing fall prevention programs for individuals with overweight and obesity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42021269949; https://tinyurl.com/3yrwccu4 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/36234