TY - JOUR T1 - Six minute walk test in obese children and adolescents JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 38 IS - Suppl 55 SP - p1259 AU - Mariana Simoes Ferreira AU - Roberto Teixeira Mendes AU - Maria Angela G. de O Ribeiro AU - Jose Dirceu Ribeiro Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p1259.abstract N2 - Background: Six minute walk test (6MWT) is an accessible tool to evaluate the submaximal physical capacity. There are few studies that evaluate the 6MWT in obese children and adolescents.Aim: To compare the performance of obese and healthy children and adolescents in the 6MWT analyzing the walked distance (WD), the work (W) and the physiological cost.Method: Comparative, analytical and cross sectional study including, eighty four subjects (28 obese and 56 eutrophic) with age between 5.7 and 16.8 years. Obesity was defined according to CDC standards (IMC≥p95). Subjects with respiratory diseases were excluded. The 6MWT followed the ATS guidelines.Results: The obese subjects walked a significantly shorter distance than the eutrophic subjects in the 6MWT (p=0.00). The W (W=body weight X WD) in the obese group was significantly higher than the healthy group (p=0.00). There were not differences between the groups in the PC (PC=ΔHeart Rate/Median Velocity). Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the groups.Conclusion: The worse performance in the obese group must be associated to a limitation in the physiological mechanisms involved in the exercise and the excessive charge that difficult the performance. It is necessary more studies in order to define the limiting mechanisms in the physical performance in obese children and adolescents during the walking. ER -