Does the Gestational Trimester Influence Walking Parameters in Pregnant Women During a Dual-Task Activity?

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the potential influences of different gestational periods on the spatiotemporal parameters of the gait and cognitive performance during a dual-task (DT) activity. This study included the gestational group (GG) comprised 20 pregnant women (mean age of 30.48 years) and the control group (CG) consisted of 20 healthy, non-pregnant women (mean age of 28.30 years). The GG was evaluated during the second trimester (mean gestational age of 23.15 weeks) and again in the third trimester (mean gestational age of 35.95 weeks), whereas the CG was assessed at a single time point. Participants performed a verbal fluency cognitive task followed by a gait assessment. Subsequently, participants completed a DT activity, which involved performing the gait task simultaneously with the verbal fluency cognitive task. To assess differences in spatiotemporal gait and cognitive variables between groups, regardless of the type of task performed, a two-factor ANOVA (group and task) was used. Significant differences were observed only in cadence (Sig = 0.024; η² = 0.127, medium effect size) and cognitive performance (Sig = 0.001; η² = 0.583, large effect size), both of which were negatively affected under DT conditions, regardless of the gestational trimester. However, different gestational trimesters did not significantly affect spatiotemporal gait or cognitive parameters during DT activities. The addition of a verbal fluency task to gait did not markedly affect most of the analyzed spatiotemporal parameters, suggesting that pregnant women, are capable of performing DT gait activities effectively.