Can the 6-minute walk test estimate cardio-respiratory fitness in early psychosis?
Poster B50, Tuesday, October%209, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom
Marc-André Roy1,2, Gabrielle Salvas3, Philippe Simard2, Brigitte Gagnon1, Paule Kemgni1, Anne-Pierre Bouffard1,2, Sophie L'Heureux1,2, Claudine Doire2, Henriette Kemgni1, Catherine Laughrea1, Pierre Desgagnés2,3, Patrice Brassard3; 1Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, PQ, Canada, 2CNDV/IUSMQ/CIUSSS-CN, Québec, PQ, Canada, 3Kinésiologie, , Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, PQ, Canada, 4Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec, PQ, Canada
Guidelines recommend assessing cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) to people with a schizophrenia spectrum psychotic disorder (SZSPD) since this is one of the best indicators of general health and life expectancy. Since the VO2 Max, the gold standard to assess CRF, cannot be routinely used in clinical settings, more accessible alternatives are needed. Hence, we assessed the accuracy of the estimate of the CRF measured with a readily accessible procedure, the 6-minute walking test (6-MWT), by comparing its results with CRF estimate obtained with a treadmill test. Our 20 participants (male=11; female n=9; mean age = 26.5) were treated for a SZSPD in an early-intervention program. They completed: 1. A 6-minute walking test (6-MWT) which measures the maximal distance that a person can walk in 6 minutes, following the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society; 2. A Bruce protocol treadmill test which aims to measure the longest period of time the person can achieve on a treadmill with increasing speed and incline every 3 minutes following the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine. Results of both procedures were transformed in METs, and then in Z-scores using published general population norms. The correlation between the two tests was statistically significant yet relatively modest (r=0,40; p<0,01). Furthermore, the 6-MWT underestimated the CRF by 21.5%. These results show that the 6-MWT cannot accurately assess CRF in our population. This probably results from a floor effect due to the fact that the 6-MWT was developed for older people with chronic cardio-respiratory conditions.
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