title: Is the six-minute walk test appropriate for detecting changes in cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy elderly men?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine whether the six-minute walk test (6-MWT) can detect changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) induced by exercise training in healthy elderly men.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized and prospective controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two healthy untrained men, between 65 and 75 years of age, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control (C, n = 12), endurance training (E, n = 10), or concurrent training (ER, n = 10). Training groups underwent 24 weeks of exercise, 3 times a week. All participants were subjected to cardiopulmonary exercise testing and the 6-MWT, before and after the training period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At follow-up, the E and ER groups had significantly higher peak oxygen uptake (VO(2)peak) (15.0 ± 9.1 and 12.6 ± 10.4%, respectively) and 6-MWT distances (5.5 ± 5.3 and 4.6 ± 2.8%, respectively) compared to the C group. In pre-intervention (n = 32), the 6-MWT distance correlated positively with (VO(2)peak) (r = 0.51, p = 0.001) and VO(2) at anaerobic threshold (r = 0.39, p = 0.010). On the other hand, there was no significant correlation between the changes (after-before) in the 6-MWT distance and VO(2) peak (E and ER groups: r = 0.38, p = 0.097).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 6-MWT is not appropriate to evaluate changes in CRF in healthy elderly men who performed endurance and concurrent training for 24 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Disciplina de Medicina e Biologia do Sono, Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil. santanamg@gmail.com
authors.forename: Marcos G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.forename: Claudio A B
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Lira
authors.forename: Giselle S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Passos
authors.forename: Carlos A F
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Alan H O
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Cristina H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tufik
authors.forename: Marco T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: de Mello
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015308:Anaerobic Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007590:Jogging / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012143:Respiratory Physiological Phenomena; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*