An observational study on 6-minute walk distance and its relationship with traditional Chinese medicine Qi and blood status among Chinese older adults

Introduction

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) declines with aging and is associated with age-related diseases. The decline in CRF among older adults has not been reported in China. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believes that CRF is related to Qi and blood status, but there is no evidence to support this hypothesis. Therefore, the purpose of our study was 1) to observe the decline in CRF in Chinese older adults, and 2) to investigate the association between CRF and TCM Qi and blood status.

Methods

Eligible older adults underwent the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and the Qi and Blood Status Questionnaire (QBSQ) assessment. Data encompassed general information, demographic and anthropometric details, underlying medical conditions, and results of the 6MWT and QBSQ. Data were analyzed for normal and abnormal 6MWD cohorts, and the correlation between 6MWD and QBSQ scores was explored.

Results

Among the 277 participants included, 77 individuals walked a distance of ≤450 m. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) for the normal-6MWD group was 472 (16) m and 420 (50) m for the abnormal-6MWD group. Comparative analysis between groups revealed disparities in age, sex, height, weight, BMI, education level, and the prevalence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), coronary heart disease (CHD), and hyperlipidemia (P < 0.05). Moreover, a significant negative linear correlation was observed between 6MWD and the QBSQ scores (P < 0.01). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated the potential diagnostic value of QBSQ scores in identifying abnormal 6MWD. The combined model exhibited optimal validity, evidenced by an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87 (95 % confidence interval: 0.768–0.879), a sensitivity of 0.87, a specificity of 0.71, and a cut-off total score value of 45.

Conclusion

The initial findings suggest a considerable percentage of Chinese older adults, including those with chronic diseases, exhibited abnormal 6MWD. We observed negative linear correlations between 6MWD and QBSQ scores, indicating that CRF is related to TCM Qi and blood status. However, future multi-center studies with lager sample sizes are still needed.