Rashmi Ranjan Das¹, Harini Chowdary¹, Krishna Mohan Gulla¹, Binod Kumar Behera¹
1- AIIMS Bhubaneswar, India
Abstract Body
Introduction: The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a simple and widely used clinical assessment tool to measure an individual's functional capacity and exercise tolerance. While there have been numerous studies in Caucasian population, only few studies have been done in Indian population and those too, mostly in older children.
Objectives: To determine the normal reference values for the 6MWT of healthy children aged between 4–14 years old.
Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted over two-year period in a tertiary care teaching hospital from Eastern India. The 6MWT was performed as per the ATS guideline. Normative data for 6MWT was derived. The sample size was calculated as 400. The study was approved by the institute ethics committee, and parental consent was obtained.
Results: A total of 400 children (male = 193; rural population = 44%) were included in the study . The mean (SD) 6MWD (6-minute walking distance) was 365.3 (101.67) m. There was a positive correlation between the 6MWD and age (r²=0.58, p=0.001), height (r²=0.58, p=0.001), weight (r²= 0.50, p=0.001), and BMI (r²=0.28, p=0.001), but not with the gender (p=0.14). The mean (SD) change in heart rate (ΔHR) was 23 (21) per minute, systolic blood pressure (ΔSBP) was 4 (7) mmHg, diastolic blood pressure (ΔDBP) was 5 (6) mmHg, and SpO2 fall (ΔSpO2) was 0 to 2%.
Conclusions: This study provides normal values for the 6MWT in Indian children. The mean (SD)6MWD was 365.3 (101.67) m.