Abstract

Introduction: Brazil is a country with great climatic, socioeconomic and cultural differences that does not yet have a reference value for the six-minute walk test in healthy children (Cacau LAP et al. Braz J Cardiovasc Surg 2016;31(5):381-8). To avoid misinterpretation, the use of equations to predict the maximum distance traveled should be that established in each country. Objectives: to establish reference values and to elaborate an equation to predict the maximum walking distance on the 6MWT in healthy children in Brazil. Methods: This is a multicenter Where they were included 1496 healthy children, evaluated by 11 centers in all regions of Brazil, aged 7 to 12 years, recruited from public and private schools in their respective regions (Cacau LAP et al. DOI: 10.4187/respcare.05686). Each child was weighed and measured on a scale with tape to obtain the values of weight and height. They were checked and recorded the distance traveled by the six-minute walk test. For the data analysis it was used the open-source software environment for statistical computing, R. Results: It was observed a higher average distance walked by males (531.1m) with a difference of 24.9 meters (p <0.05) for females (506.2m). Were established reference values for the 6MWT (table 1). It was generated the following equations to predict the maximum distance in the 6MWT, for males: Distance = 16.86*Age + 1.89*deltaHR – 0.80*Weight + 336.91*R1 + 360.91*R2 and for females: Distance = 13.54*Age + 1.62*DeltaHR – 1.28*Weight + 352.33*R1 + 394.81*R2. Conclusion: Reference values were established for the 6MWT in healthy children 7-12 years in Brazil.