Background: Cardiovascular fitness is nowadays considered one of the most important health markers. Despite a well established maximum incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test, six minute walk test (SMWT) has been proposed as an indicator of functional capacity. We investigate the correlate between SMWT and incremental treadmill exercise stress test. We also provide a contemporary set of results of the SMWT in our cohort of healthy children in comparison with the standard reference previously published for children.
Methods: Healthy children aged 9 to 12 years were included in this study. The anthropometric data, SMWT distance and exercise stress test were prospectively measured using the standard protocols. Various parameters were analyzed to define the correlation between SMWT and stress exercise test.
Results: A total of 100 subjects (53 boys) were recruited and the SMWT distance was 586.1 ± 44.0 m. The maximal oxygen consumption obtained during the exercise stress test tends to be greater in boys than girls (47.5± 10.2ml/kg/min VS 45.8 ± 9.7 ml/kg/min) nevertheless there was no statistically significant. Among parameters obtained during exercise stress test, maximal heart rate and the maximal oxygen consumption were found to have significant correlation with SMWT distance.
Conclusions: SMWT distance is significantly correlated with the oxygen consumption obtained during the treadmill exercise stress test. This indicates that SMWT is also one of the predictive markers for exercise stress test performance.