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Reference equation for 6‐min walk distance in healthy North African children 6–16 years old
Author(s) -
Saad Helmi Ben,
Prefaut Christian,
Missaoui Rayfa,
Mohamed Imen Hadj,
Tabka Zouhair,
Hayot Maurice
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.20942
Subject(s) - medicine , anthropometry , prospective cohort study , reference values , pediatrics , body height , structural equation modeling , body weight , surgery , statistics , mathematics
Rationale To assess the need for a 6‐min walk distance (6‐MWD) reference equation for healthy North African children 6–16 years old. Methods Prospective cross‐sectional study. Anthropometric data and 6‐MWD were measured in 200 healthy Tunisian children (100 girls) from 6 to 16 years old. Results Published reference equations did not reliably predict measured 6‐MWD in North African children. The 6‐MWD was significantly correlated with age, height, and weight ( P < 0.001, each). The combination of these parameters explained 60% of the 6‐MWD variability in the equation: 6‐MWD (m) = 4.63 × height (cm) − 3.53 × weight (kg) + 10.42 × age (years) + 56.32. In an additional group of 41 children prospectively studied to validate the equation, the agreement between measured and predicted 6‐MWD was satisfactory. Conclusion This reliable 6‐MWD reference equation enriches the World Bank and provides a useful reference for the care of pediatric patients. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:316–324. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.