Open AccessReference Values and Relationship of the Six Minute Walk Test and Body Mass Index in Healthy Third Grade School Children
Author(s) -
James R. Roush,
Jennifer Guy,
Melissa Purvis
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the internet journal of allied health sciences and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1540-580X
DOI - 10.46743/1540-580x/2006.1109
Subject(s) - body mass index , medicine , partial correlation , test (biology) , physical therapy , correlation , psychology , demography , mathematics , geometry , paleontology , sociology , biology
Purpose: This study attempted to establish reference values of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) for children (38 males; 38 females; age 90-108 months) and to determine the relationship between BMI and walking distance. Method: Subjects walked at a normal, self-selected, walking speed on a grassy field for six minutes, after which distance was measured. Results: Mean BMI was 15.50 (sd=2.00) for males and 16.30 (sd=2.90) for females. Mean walking distance was 581.70 m (sd=58.10) for males and 532.20 m (sd=52.60) for females. The partial correlation between BMI and distanced walked with the influence of gender removed was .10 (p > .05). The partial correlation between BMI and distanced walked with the influence of age removed was .02 (p > .05). There was no relationship between distance walked and BMI. Conclusions: Reference values of the six-minute walk test for healthy, third-grade school children were calculated and reported.walk test, pediatric BMI, body mass index, six minute walk test