The incremental shuttle walk test in older Brazilian adults.
BACKGROUND
Despite widespread use of the incremental shuttle walk distance (ISWD), there are no reference equations for predicting it.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to evaluate ISWD in healthy subjects and to establish a reference equation for its prediction.


METHODS
131 Brazilian individuals (61 males; 59 ± 10 years) performed 2 walk tests in a 10-m long corridor. We assessed height, weight, body mass index, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, forced vital capacity and self-reported physical activity.


RESULTS
Mean ISWD was greater in males than in females (606 ± 167 vs. 443 ± 117 m; p < 0.001). ISWD correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with age (r = -0.51), height (r = 0.54) and weight (r = 0.20). A predictive model including age, height, weight and gender explained 50.3% of the ISWD variance. In an additional group of 20 subjects prospectively studied, the difference between measured and predicted ISWD was not statistically significant (534 ± 84 vs. 552 ± 87 m, respectively), representing 97 ± 12% of the predicted value calculated with our reference equation for ISWD.


CONCLUSIONS
This reference equation including demographic and anthropomorphic attributes could be useful for interpreting the walking performance of patients with chronic diseases that affect exercise capacity.
Jürgensen
Soraia Pilon
SP
Department of Health Sciences, Laboratory of Human Motricity, Federal University of São Paulo, Santos, Brazil.
Antunes
Letícia Cláudia de Oliveira
LC
Tanni
Suzana Erico
SE
Banov
Marcos Carraro
MC
Lucheta
Paulo Adolfo
PA
Bucceroni
Alessandra Freire
AF
Godoy
Irma
I
Dourado
Victor Zuniga
VZ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D001938:Brazil; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D016138:Walking