Test–retest reliability of the 10‐metre fast walk test and 6‐minute walk test in ambulatory school‐aged children with cerebral palsy
- 18 March 2008
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by Wiley in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
- Vol. 50 (5), 370-376
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2008.02048.x
Abstract
Short-term test-retest reliability of the 10-metre fast walk test (10mFWT) and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) was evaluated in 31 ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP), with subgroup analyses in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels I (n=9), II (n=8), and III (n=14). Sixteen females and 15 males participated, mean age 9 years 5 months (SD 3y 7mo, range 4y 3mo-18y 2mo). Twenty had spastic diplegia, while the others had another form of CP. Retest interval varied from 1 to 4 weeks (mean 10.6d [SD 6.4]). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) estimated reliability. The 10mFWT ICC was 0.81 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.90) across participants, and >0.59 in GMFCS subgroups (95% CI lower bound >0.01). The 6MWT ICC was 0.98, and >0.90 in GMFCS subgroups (95% CI lower bound >0.64). Bland-Altman plots indicated bias towards higher 6MWT retest distances in GMFCS Level I. Minimum detectable change (95% CI) was 61.9, 64.0, and 47.4m for the 6MWT within GMFCS Levels I, II, and III respectively. The conclusion is that while the 10mFWT showed inadequate test-retest reliability given its wide 95% CI, the 6MWT demonstrated good to excellent reliability. Investigation of the need for a practice walk when administering the 6MWT with children in GMFCS Level I is recommended to establish their fastest pace.Keywords
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- Reliability of Four Functional Tests and Rating of Perceived Exertion in Persons with Multiple SclerosisPhysiotherapy Canada, 2006
- The six-minute walk test in healthy children: reliability and validityEuropean Respiratory Journal, 2005
- Validity of the 6‐minute walking test in juvenile idiopathic arthritisArthritis Care & Research, 2005
- Assessing walking ability in subjects with spinal cord injury: Validity and reliability of 3 walking testsArchives Of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2005
- Test–re-test reliability of walking speed, step length and step width measurement after traumatic brain injury: a pilot studyBrain Injury, 2004
- Reliability of a Timed Walk Test in Persons with Acquired Brain InjuryAmerican Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 2003
- ATS StatementAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2002
- Refining the Ten-metre Walking Test for Use with Neurologically Impaired PeoplePhysiotherapy, 2002
- Validity and reliability comparison of 4 mobility measures in patients presenting with neurologic impairmentArchives Of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2001
- Intrasubject repeatability of gait analysis data in normal and spastic childrenClinical Biomechanics, 2000