Comparative analysis of oxygen uptake in elderly subjects performing two walk tests: the six-minute walk test and the 200-m fast walk test

• Published in: Clinical rehabilitation Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 162 - 168
• Main Authors: Gremeaux, Vincent, Iskandar, Marwan, Kervio, Gaëlle, Deley, Gaëlle, Pérénnou, Dominic, Casillas, Jean-Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.02.2008; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bioengineering; Exercise Test; Exercise Test - methods; Exercise Tolerance; Exercise Tolerance - physiology; Female; Humans; Life Sciences; Male; Oxygen Consumption; Oxygen Consumption - physiology; Walking; Walking - physiology
• ISSN: 0269-2155; 1477-0873
• DOI: 10.1177/0269215507080125

Objective: A novel walk test is proposed to assess the ability of elderly subjects to sustain a submaximal effort in ecological surroundings. Vo2 uptake during this test was compared with that of a six-minute walk test and maximal exercise test. Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Setting: Rehabilitation department, Dijon University Hospital. Subjects: Thirty-one subjects, aged from 70 to 85 years, free from any chronic disease. Intervention: Three tests to assess physical capacities: the 200-m fast walk test (200 mFWT), the six-minute walk test (6 MWT) at self-paced speed, and one maximal cardiorespiratory exercise test on an ergocycle. Main measures: Distance walked on the 6 MWT, time to perform the 200 mFWT. Heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (Vo2) were measured for each test. Results: All subjects successfully completed the two walk tests without any complaints. They walked more quickly during the 200 mFWT than during the 6 MWT (mean (SD) speed respectively 1.60 (0.17) versus 1.23 (0.16) m/s, P<0.001). Compared with the maximal exercise test, the relative intensity was much higher during the 200 mFWT than during the 6 MWT (mean (SD) Vo2 uptake 86.8 (8.9)% versus 67.4 (10.7)% of peak Vo2, mean (SD) HR 89.9 (9.4) versus 76.2 (0.8)% of peak HR; P<0.001). Conclusion: In healthy elderly subjects, the 200 mFWT requires a more sustained effort than the 6 MWT. This test is simple, ecological and well tolerated. In addition to the 6 MWT, the 200 mFWT could be a useful tool to build up and evaluate training or rehabilitation programmes, especially when interval training is planned