The role of waddling gait in balance control during pregnancy.

Background: Pregnant people experience many physical changes which might affect their walking pattern. Waddling gait is a common gait pattern pregnant individuals adopt. It is unknown whether waddling gait is a sign of poor balance or a protective mechanism against loss of balance, so the aim of this study was to understand why some pregnant individuals adopt this gait pattern.

Enhancing fall risk assessment: instrumenting vision with deep learning during walks.

Background: Falls are common in a range of clinical cohorts, where routine risk assessment often comprises subjective visual observation only. Typically, observational assessment involves evaluation of an individual's gait during scripted walking protocols within a lab to identify deficits that potentially increase fall risk, but subtle deficits may not be (readily) observable. Therefore, objective approaches (e.

Different neurocognitive controls modulate obstacle avoidance through pregnancy.

Understanding why falls during pregnancy occur at over 25% rate over gestation has clinical impacts on the health of pregnant individuals. Attention, proprioception, and perception of the environment are required to prevent trips and falls. This research aimed to understand how the changes to these neurocognitive processes control obstacle avoidance through gestation.

Determining fall risk change throughout pregnancy: the accuracy of postpartum survey and relationship to fall efficacy.

All epidemiological studies on pregnancy fall risk to date have relied on postpartum recall. This study investigated the accuracy of postpartum recall of falls that were reported during pregnancy, including assessment of fall efficacy as a possible reason for recall inaccuracy. Twenty participants reported fall experiences weekly during pregnancy, but one participant was excluded as an outlier.

Exploring pandemic preparedness in higher education: lessons learnt from students' lived experiences during a critical time.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a marked impact on educational disruption and progression of students. Linked to this, studies have demonstrated increases in depression, anxiety, and stress, with long-term outcomes yet to be understood. Students in Higher Education (HE) were at particular risk due to circumstances such as financial stress from job loss, shifting to online learning and uncertainties about the future, with many international students isolated from social support networks.