RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Reference values for the 6 minute walk test in healthy Italian children aged 6-11 years
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P4657
VO 42
IS Suppl 57
A1 Diletta Innocenti
A1 Eleonora Masi
A1 Matteo Masolini
A1 Simone Gambazza
A1 Sergio Zuffo
A1 Enrico Lombardi
YR 2013
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P4657.abstract
AB Background - The 6 minute walk test (6MWT) assesses the exercise capacity in children with chronic lung disease. Despite its widespread use, reference values for the 6MWT in children have only been published by 2 other groups in Europe and are currently not available for Italian children. Aim of the present study was to establish references values for the 6MWT in healthy Italian children aged 6 to 11 years.Methods - Children were recruited from two primary public schools. Parents were asked to provide clinical information about their children via questionnaires. The anthropometric data of all children were evaluated and the main outcome measure was the distance walked in 6 min. Tests were conducted according to the American Thoracic Society guidelines (1).Results - A total of 261 healthy Italian children (range 6-11 years) were recruited. Overall, the mean distance walked in 6 min was 612.9 m with no significant difference between boys and girls. Univariate analysis showed that age, height, weight and the weekly amount of physical activity were significantly correlated with the distance walked in 6 min. When adjusting for the other covariates, age, height and weight were independently correlated with the 6 min walk distance and explained 25% of the variability of the distance covered.Conclusions - We have assessed reference values for the 6MWT in 6-11 year old Italian children. These standards will provide useful references for the care of paediatric patients with chronic lung disease.(1) ATS Statement: Guidelines for the Six-Minute Walk Test. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2002;166:111-117