Reference values for the 6-min walk test in healthy middle-aged and older adults: from the total distance traveled to physiological responses

Abstract Introduction: Physiological responses to the 6-min walk test (6MWT) have been increasingly evaluated in patients with cardiopulmonary diseases. However, previous studies did not include healthy persons. Objective: To evaluate the intensity of 6MWT, to develop a series of predictive equations for the physiological variables and to test their reliability in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Method: We evaluated 102 non-trained healthy adults (54 women, aged 61 ± 10 years) and a cross-validation sample of 30 participants. We measured physiological responses to the 6MWT and a cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) on a treadmill. Results: The R2 values for regression analysis adjusted by age, body mass, stature, and sex ranged from 0.25 for heart rate and 0.46 for peak V ˙ O 2 The 6MWT distance and 6MWT peak V ˙ O 2 represented 110 ± 10% and 102 ± 15% of the predicted values, respectively, using our equations. The intensity of 6MWT corresponded to 72 ± 13% of the peak O2 and 78 ± 23% of the peak HR in the CPET. Peak V ˙ O 2 in the CPET was adequately predicted by 6MWT peak V ˙ O 2 (R2 = 0.76) and 6MWD (R2 = 0.54). Conclusion: The 6MWT represents a moderate to high-intensity test in middle-aged and older healthy adults and is valid for assessing maximal aerobic exercise capacity. Physiological responses to the 6MWT may be adequately predicted with a combination of anthropometrics and demographics.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Sperandio,Evandro Fornias, Guerra,Ricardo Luís Fernandes, Romiti,Marcello, Gagliardi,Antônio Ricardo de Toledo, Arantes,Rodolfo Leite, Dourado,Victor Zuniga
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná 2019
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-51502019000100226
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