Agreement Test Between The Six Minutes Walking Test And Four Meter Gait Speed

Background/ObjectiveIn the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, it is essential to measure individual functional capacity, which could be evaluated through walking tests. Aside from the commonly used six minutes walking test (6MWT), four meter gait speed (4MGS) are widely used for its practicality. This study aimed to assess the agreement between 4 MGS and the 6MWT in Indonesian healthy adults. MethodsThis agreement analysis study had recruited 61 healthy and sedentary Indonesians aged 18 until 50 years old, and they were instructed to perform three tests, namely 6MWT and 4MGS with six meters and eight meters track. These gait speed were then compared to assess validity. ResultsMean gait speed results for males in 6MWT is 1.602 m/s, whereas 4MGS in six meter track is 2.114 m/s and similarly 2.108 m/s in the eight meter track. Females on the other hand, achieved 1.462 m/s for 6MWT, 1.908 m/s and 1.986 m/s for 4MGS in six and eight meter simultaneously. Bland Altman Agreement test between the 6MWT and 4MGS shows scatter dots with close limit of agreement, thus showing a good agreement between the 6MWT and 4 MGS with both tracks. DiscussionBoth track length of 4 MGS were in a good agreement with 6MWT for functional capacity assessment. ConclusionsIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic era, shorter track of 4MGS (six meters) can be feasibly utilized. It is evident that shorter duration and track will boost the tests practicality in assessing functional capacity for both inpatient and outpatient settings.