Impaired Visual Motor Coordination in Obese Adults

Abstract EN

Objective.

To investigate whether obesity alters the sensory motor integration process and movement outcome during a visual rhythmic coordination task.

Methods.

88 participants (44 obese and 44 matched control) sat on a chair equipped with a wrist pendulum oscillating in the sagittal plane.

The task was to swing the pendulum in synchrony with a moving visual stimulus displayed on a screen.

Results.

Obese participants demonstrated significantly (p<0.01) higher values for continuous relative phase (CRP) indicating poorer level of coordination, increased movement variability (p<0.05), and a larger amplitude (p<0.05) than their healthy weight counterparts.

Conclusion.

These results highlight the existence of visual sensory integration deficiencies for obese participants.

The obese group have greater difficulty in synchronizing their movement with a visual stimulus.

Considering that visual motor coordination is an essential component of many activities of daily living, any impairment could significantly affect quality of life.