Six-minute walk test in children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) for healthy Caucasian children and adolescents of a population-based sample from the age of 3 to 18 years.


METHODS
Two hundred and eighty boys and 248 girls completed a modified test, using a measuring wheel as incentive device.


RESULTS
Median 6MWD increased from the age of 3 to 11 years in boys and girls alike and increased further with increasing age in boys (from 667.3 m to 727.6 m), whereas it essentially plateaued in girls (655.8 m to 660.9 m). After adjusting for age, height (P = .001 in boys and P < .001 in girls) remained independently correlated with the 6MWD. In the best fitting and most efficient linear and quadratic regression models, the variables age and height explained about 49% of the variability of the 6MWD in boys and 50% in girls.


CONCLUSIONS
This modified 6-minute walk test (6MWT) proved to be safe, easy to perform, and highly acceptable to children. It provides a simple and inexpensive means to measure functional exercise capacity in children, even of young age, and might be of value when conducting comparable studies.
Geiger
Ralf
R
Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Division of Cardiology, Pulmology, Allergology, and Cystic Fibrosis, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria. ralf.geiger@i-med.ac.at
Strasak
Alexander
A
Treml
Benedikt
B
Gasser
Klaus
K
Kleinsasser
Axel
A
Fischer
Victoria
V
Geiger
Harald
H
Loeckinger
Alexander
A
Stein
Joerg I
JI
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*