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.
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.
N D
ND
Harada
V
V
Chiu
A L
AL
Stewart
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