Women carry for less: body size, pelvis width, loading position and energetics
The energetic cost of walking varies with mass and speed; however, the metabolic cost of carrying loads has not consistently increased proportionally to the mass carried. The cost of carrying mass, and the speed at which human walkers carry this mass, has been shown to vary with load position and lo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Evolutionary Human Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X22000354/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156394215211008 |
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| author | Cara M. Wall-Scheffler |
| author_facet | Cara M. Wall-Scheffler |
| author_sort | Cara M. Wall-Scheffler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The energetic cost of walking varies with mass and speed; however, the metabolic cost of carrying loads has not consistently increased proportionally to the mass carried. The cost of carrying mass, and the speed at which human walkers carry this mass, has been shown to vary with load position and load description (e.g. child vs. groceries). Additionally, the preponderance of women carriers around the world, and the tendency for certain kinds of population-level sexual dimorphism has led to the hypothesis that women might be more effective carriers than men. Here, I investigate the energetic cost and speed changes of women (N = 9) and men (N = 6) walking through the woods carrying their own babies (mean baby mass = 10.6 kg) in three different positions – on their front, side and back using the same Ergo fabric baby sling. People carrying their babies on their backs are able to maintain their unloaded walking speed (1.4 m/s) and show the lowest increase in metabolic cost per distance (J/m, 17.4%). Women carry the babies for a lower energetic cost than men at all conditions (p < 0.01). Further energetic and kinematic evidence elucidates the preponderance of back-carrying cross-culturally, and illustrates the importance of relatively wider bi-trochanteric breadths for reducing the energetic costs of carrying. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:50:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-be9c1c63c97146ddb0a143c49fe4d49c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2513-843X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:50:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolutionary Human Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-be9c1c63c97146ddb0a143c49fe4d49c2023-03-09T12:32:20ZengCambridge University PressEvolutionary Human Sciences2513-843X2022-01-01410.1017/ehs.2022.35Women carry for less: body size, pelvis width, loading position and energeticsCara M. Wall-Scheffler0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0224-0476Department of Biology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, USA and Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAThe energetic cost of walking varies with mass and speed; however, the metabolic cost of carrying loads has not consistently increased proportionally to the mass carried. The cost of carrying mass, and the speed at which human walkers carry this mass, has been shown to vary with load position and load description (e.g. child vs. groceries). Additionally, the preponderance of women carriers around the world, and the tendency for certain kinds of population-level sexual dimorphism has led to the hypothesis that women might be more effective carriers than men. Here, I investigate the energetic cost and speed changes of women (N = 9) and men (N = 6) walking through the woods carrying their own babies (mean baby mass = 10.6 kg) in three different positions – on their front, side and back using the same Ergo fabric baby sling. People carrying their babies on their backs are able to maintain their unloaded walking speed (1.4 m/s) and show the lowest increase in metabolic cost per distance (J/m, 17.4%). Women carry the babies for a lower energetic cost than men at all conditions (p < 0.01). Further energetic and kinematic evidence elucidates the preponderance of back-carrying cross-culturally, and illustrates the importance of relatively wider bi-trochanteric breadths for reducing the energetic costs of carrying.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X22000354/type/journal_articleCost of transportcost of locomotioncenter of masssexual dimorphismobstetrical dilemma |
| spellingShingle | Cara M. Wall-Scheffler Women carry for less: body size, pelvis width, loading position and energetics Evolutionary Human Sciences Cost of transport cost of locomotion center of mass sexual dimorphism obstetrical dilemma |
| title | Women carry for less: body size, pelvis width, loading position and energetics |
| title_full | Women carry for less: body size, pelvis width, loading position and energetics |
| title_fullStr | Women carry for less: body size, pelvis width, loading position and energetics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Women carry for less: body size, pelvis width, loading position and energetics |
| title_short | Women carry for less: body size, pelvis width, loading position and energetics |
| title_sort | women carry for less body size pelvis width loading position and energetics |
| topic | Cost of transport cost of locomotion center of mass sexual dimorphism obstetrical dilemma |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2513843X22000354/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT caramwallscheffler womencarryforlessbodysizepelviswidthloadingpositionandenergetics |