Is There Agreement Between Distances Covered in the 6-min Walk Test Regardless of the Test Configuration? A Cross-Sectional Cross-Over Study in Older Adults.

Abstract

Background/objectives: Aging usually leads to physical disability and a detrimental performance in activities of daily living. Among the functional capacity components, cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the most important. The 6-min walk test (6MWT) is the most widely performed test, using the test configuration to determine patients' results and allow interpretation of the results by healthcare professionals. Therefore, this study aimed to compare distances and body accelerations obtained from two 6MWT protocols (25-m walkway vs. 20- by 5-m rectangle).

Methods: A cross-over study design was used where 43 older adults (>65 years old) performed the 6MWT using two different setups (25-m walkway vs. 20- by 5-m rectangle), gathering distances covered and body acceleration data.

Results: Covered distance was significant superior in the 20- by 5-m rectangle in comparison with the 25-m walkway (p < .05). Axis Z counts per minute were superior in the 25-m walkway than in the 20- by 5-m rectangle (p < .05). Despite that the distances covered in both setups were significantly correlated (r = .891; p < .001), the lack of agreement (p < .001) suggests they should not be considered interchangeably. Additionally, more than 30% of the participants changed their percentile for cardiorespiratory fitness classification according to the two test configurations.

Conclusion: 6MWT setup determines patient's performances and fitness classification. Then, it is crucial to clearly describe test configuration to properly contextualize older adults' cardiorespiratory fitness by health care professionals. Significance/Implications: Our findings highlight the need to normalize the 6MWT configuration to improve accuracy in the assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults.