title: The six-minute walk test in healthy children: reliability and validity.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the 6-min walk test (6MWT) in healthy children. Chinese secondary school students were randomly recruited. They attended the current authors' unit on two occasions, separated by 2 weeks. Physical examination and standardised maximum incremental exercise testing on a treadmill were performed on the first visit. Spirometry and 6MWT were carried out on the second visit. A randomly selected subgroup was invited to return for repeat 6MWT at an interval of 2-4 weeks. Seventy-eight subjects were recruited; however, four failed to achieve maximal effort on exercise test. The final group included 43 young females and the mean+/-sd age of the subjects was 14.2+/-1.2 yrs. Physical examination was unremarkable in all cases. The mean+/-sd per cent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second was 91.4+/-10.2%. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by good correlation between the 6-min walking distance and maximum oxygen uptake determined on the exercise treadmill. Test-retest reliability was undertaken in 52 subjects, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (95% confidence interval) was calculated as 0.94 (0.89-0.96). In addition, Bland and Altman plots demonstrated a high degree of repeatability. In healthy children, the 6-min walk test is a reliable and valid functional test for assessing exercise tolerance and endurance.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Paediatrics, 6th Floor, Clinical Sciences Building, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong. albertmli@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: C C W
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: E K L
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Hon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*