Reference values and prediction equation for the 6-minute walk test in healthy children aged 6–12 years old

Abstract

Background/aim: The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is the most commonly used and well-established test to measure functional exercisecapacity in research and clinical settings. Country-specific reference values are important to interpret the results of 6MWT. However, noreference values have been reported for healthy Turkish children aged between 6 and 12 years old. The aim of this study was to determinenormal reference values for the 6MWT test of healthy Turkish children aged between 6 and 12 years old.Materials and methods: Two hundred and sixty-two healthy children aged between 6 and 12 years old were included in this crosssectional study. Measures included height, weight, body mass index (BMI), leg length, and 6MWT distance (6MWD).Results: The mean 6MWD was 572.58 (SD = 117.72) m. There were significant correlations between 6MWD and age (r = 0.764, P