Mobility-related function in older adults: assessment with a 6-minute walk test.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the usefulness of the 6-minute walk test as an integrated measure of mobility in older adults.


METHODS
Observational study.


METHODS
Community centers and retirement homes in the Los Angeles area.


METHODS
Eighty-six older adults without significant disease.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Assessments included the 6-minute walk, chair stands, standing balance, gait speed, body mass index, and self-reported physical functioning and general health perceptions.


RESULTS
One-week test-retest reliability of the 6-minute walk was .95. As hypothesized, the 6-minute walk distance was significantly greater for active than for inactive older adults (p < .0001), moderately correlated with chair stands (r = .67), standing balance (r = .52), and gait speed (r = -.73). It had a low correlation with body mass index (r = -.07). The correlation of the 6-minute walk with self-reported physical functioning was .55, and its correlation with general health perceptions was .39. Self-report and performance measures explained 69% of the variance in 6-minute walk scores.


CONCLUSIONS
The 6-minute walk test is reliable and is valid in relation to the performance and self-reported indicators of physical functioning tested in this study. It could serve as a useful integrated measure of mobility.
Harada
N D
ND
Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, 90073, USA.
Chiu
V
V
Stewart
A L
AL
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking