Six-Minute Walk Test in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Background The 400‑m walk test (400MWT) of usual gait speed is an assessment of mobility limitations in geriatric medicine and sarcopenic research. Objective The aim of this study was to describe the course of gait speed during a 400MWT in community-dwelling older adults in terms of physical, psychological and general health-related outcomes. Possible plateau phases during the 400MWT could enable integrated measurements of short distance walk tests. Methods In this study 148 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 80.4 ± 4.4 years, 61% women) performed a 400MWT at comfortable gait speed. Additionally, an 8m walk test was carried out and history of falling, sex, comorbidities, fear of falling, executive function and gait variability were determined as covariates. Results Gait speed was higher in the beginning and the end of the 400MWT compared to the middle part with respect to all analyzed covariates. Mean gait speed of the 8 m walk test was significantly faster than mean gait speed of the 400MWT (t (df = 147) = 0.07, p = 0.001). Conclusion The course of gait speed during a 400MWT performed by community-dwelling older adults was not affected by sex, gait variability, comorbidity, history of falling, fear of falling or executive function. Gait speed measurements of the 400MWT do not fully represent assessment of supervised short distance gait speed in community-dwelling adults.

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Age- and Gender-Related Test Performance in Community-Dwelling Elderly People: Six-Minute Walk Test, Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up & Go Test, and Gait Speeds

Physical Therapy ◽

10.1093/ptj/82.2.128 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 82 (2) ◽

pp. 128-137 ◽

Cited By ~ 1117

Author(s):

Teresa M Steffen ◽

Timothy A Hacker ◽

Louise Mollinger

Keyword(s):

Elderly People ◽

Berg Balance Scale ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Walk Test ◽

Clinical Tests ◽

Balance Scale ◽

Six Minute Walk Test ◽

Age Related ◽

Test Retest Reliability ◽

Minute Walk

Abstract Background and Purpose. The interpretation of patient scores on clinical tests of physical mobility is limited by a lack of data describing the range of performance among people without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to provide data for 4 common clinical tests in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. Subjects. Ninety-six community-dwelling elderly people (61–89 years of age) with independent functioning performed 4 clinical tests. Methods. Data were collected on the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MW), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Timed Up & Go Test (TUG) and during comfortable- and fast-speed walking (CGS and FGS). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to determine the test-retest reliability for the 6MW, TUG, CGS, and FGS measurements. Data were analyzed by gender and age (60–69, 70–79, and 80–89 years) cohorts, similar to previous studies. Means, standard deviations, and 95% confidence intervals for each measurement were calculated for each cohort. Results. The 6MW, TUG, CGS, and FGS measurements showed high test-retest reliability (ICC [2,1]=.95–.97). Mean test scores showed a trend of age-related declines for the 6MW, BBS, TUG, CGS, and FGS for both male and female subjects. Discussion and Conclusion. Preliminary descriptive data suggest that physical therapists should use age-related data when interpreting patient data obtained for the 6MW, BBS, TUG, CGS and FGS. Further data on these clinical tests with larger sample sizes are needed to serve as a reference for patient comparisons.

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Development and Validation of Person-Centered Cut-Points for the Figure-of-8-Walk Test of Mobility in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glaa035 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 75 (12) ◽

pp. 2404-2411

Author(s):

Peter C Coyle ◽

Subashan Perera ◽

Valerie Shuman ◽

Jessie VanSwearingen ◽

Jennifer S Brach

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Clinical Decision Making ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Performance Measure ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Walk Test ◽

Cut Points ◽

Global Mobility ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Background The Figure-of-8-Walk test (F8WT) is a performance measure of the motor skill of walking. Unlike walking speed over a straight path, it captures curved path walking, which is essential to real-world activity, but meaningful cut-points have yet to be developed for the F8WT. Methods A secondary analysis of 421 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 80.7 ± 7.8), who participated in a community-based exercise clinical trial, was performed. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCC) were calculated using baseline data, with F8WT performance discriminating different self-reported global mobility and balance dichotomies. Cut-points for the F8WT were chosen to optimize sensitivity and specificity. For validation, F8WT cut-points were applied to postintervention F8WT data. Participants were called monthly for 12 months after intervention completion to record self-reported incident falls, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations; risks of the outcomes were compared between those who performed well and poorly on the F8WT. Results F8WT performance times of ≤9.09 seconds and ≤9.27 seconds can discriminate those with excellent (sensitivity = 0.647; specificity = 0.654) and excellent/very good global mobility (sensitivity = 0.649; specificity = 0.648), respectively. A total number of steps ≤17 on the F8WT can discriminate those with excellent/very good/good global balance (sensitivity = 0.646; specificity = 0.608). Compared to those who performed poorly, those who performed well had a lower incidence of negative outcomes: F8WT time ≤9.09 seconds = 46%–59% lower; F8WT time ≤9.27 seconds = 46%–56% lower; F8WT steps ≤17 = 44%–50% lower. Conclusions Clinicians may consider these preliminary cut-points to aid in their clinical decision making, but further study is needed for definitive recommendations.

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