Reliability and validity of the 6-min walk test in adults and seniors with intellectual disabilities.
One practice walk makes the 6-min walk test a reliable, valid mobility yardstick for adults and seniors with intellectual disability.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Guerra-Balic et al. (2015) asked adults and seniors with intellectual disability to walk for six minutes. They did the walk twice, with one practice first. The team then checked if the two walks gave the same distance.
They also compared the walk distance to a fitness score. This told them if the test truly measures mobility.
What they found
After the single practice, the two walks almost matched. The test-retest number was 0.96, which means very high reliability.
Walk distance also lined up well with the fitness score, giving moderate validity. The authors say the 6-min walk test is ready for clinical use once clients have one familiarization walk.
How this fits with other research
Enkelaar et al. (2013) tested balance and gait in older adults with mild-moderate ID. They found large mobility deficits compared to same-age peers. Together, the two studies show simple clinical tests can both spot problems and track change.
Lecavalier et al. (2006) reviewed Likert-type self-report scales. They warn these scales only work for borderline to mild ID and need pictures and pretests. Myriam’s walk test avoids language, so it suits the full range of ID severity.
Johnson et al. (2009) showed three days of pedometer counts give a reliable picture of weekly steps. Both papers give busy clinicians quick, low-cost tools: one for daily step habits, one for maximal walking capacity.
Why it matters
You now have a quick, valid way to measure mobility in adults with ID. No forms, no reading, just one practice walk. Use it to set baseline distance, write adaptive goals, and show parents or funders real progress after gait or fitness interventions.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
INTRODUCTION: Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) have significantly lower rates of physical activity and fitness than adults without ID. The 6-min walk test (6 MWT) is an inexpensive and simple way to test mobility and submaximal work capacity. PURPOSE: To evaluate the test-retest reliability and validity of the 6 MWT in adults and seniors with ID and explore factors contributing to the 6 MWT distance (6 MWD). METHODS: 46 participants with mild, moderate and severe ID levels (age=41 ± 11 years) performed the 6 MWT three times (T1; T2; T3) to determine test-retest reliability. To test validity, peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) was measured using a treadmill protocol. To analyze factors contributing to the 6 MWD, sex, height, fat mass % and fat free mass %, ID level, isometric leg strength and relative VO2 peak were also measured. RESULTS: The walking distances for T1, T2 and T3 were 460.3 ± 76.9; 489.4 ± 81.2 and 491.4 ± 77.9 m, respectively. The 6 MWDs between T1-T2 and T1-T3 were significantly different (p<0.001), but T2 and T3 were not different. The intraclass correlation coefficient between T2 and T3 was 0.96 indicating high reliability. Relative VO2 peak and isometric leg strength significantly contributed to the 6 MWD (R(2)=0.55). CONCLUSIONS: The 6 MWT is an easy, inexpensive, reliable and valid test in adults and seniors with ID. Familiarization is necessary to obtain reliable values. Relative VO2 peak and leg strength have significant impact on the distance walked.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.09.011