Teste de caminhada de 6 minutos em idosos saudáveis: fatores que interferem na distância percorrida frente a distância predita

Abstract

Introduction: Functional capacity is one of the most important indicators of the health status of elderly population and therefore emerges as a health paradigm. Submaximal tests, such as the six-minute walk test (TC6), have been used to assess functional capacity because they are practical and low-stroke, in which the distance traveled establishes predictive value of functionality of adults and the elderly. Objective: To analyze the variables that affect the performance of the six-minute walk test in healthy elderly in the city of Lagarto (SE). Method:This was a cross-sectional observational study of elderly men and women aged 61 to 82 years. The 5-fold sit-up test (TLS-5x), used to assess muscle strength of lower limbs; and the mini mental state examination (MMSE) for screening were applied to the research subjects. Results: The values of distance traveled versus predicted distance showed means with significant statistical differences. The TC6 performance in relation to the greater distance traveled obtained a significant and strong correlation in the higher education volunteers. Conclusion: The findings show that there is no significant relationship between the variables BMI, gender and age and TSLCV with the performance of the elderly in the test. The instruction level and oxygen saturation (Spo2) were used as the factors of strong importance in the test performance.