Reference values for the six-minute walk test in Nigerian adolescents aged 10 to 18 years

Objective: To determine baseline six-minute walk distance in Nigerian adolescents and establish its relationship with age, gender and anthropometric parameters.Methods: One hundred and eighty healthy adolescents (10 – 18 years) were recruited from three schools. Six-minute walk test was conducted as described by the American Thoracic Society. Demographic and anthropometric characteristics were related to achieve six-minute walk distance. A mathematical formula for predicting six-minute walk distance was generated.Results: The mean ± SD six-minute walk distance was 590.1 ± 72.02 m and was significantly longer in males (p= 0.001) among adolescents aged 10- 16 years. Age was the only characteristic significantly associated with six-minute walk distance following multiple linear regression analyses. The formulae, [six-minute walk distance = 317.3 + 21.5 x age (years) in males and 117 + 33.0 x age (years) in females] closely approximated to measured six-minute walk distance.Conclusion: This study has derived reference values for 6-minute walk test in adolescents; the use of these reference values should consider age and gender variations.Keywords: Exercise test; Six-minute-walk; Adolescents; Nigeri