Li et al developed equations for predicting the six minute walking distance (6MWD) in healthy Chinese pediatric patients. The authors are from Prince of Wales Hospital and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Patient selection: healthy Chinese patients from age 7 to 16 years
Testing conditions: 100 foot corridor (30.49 meters)
Parameters:
(1) age in years
(2) gender
(3) height in centimeters
(4) change in heart rate in beats per minute (based on baseline and end-of-exercise heart rates)
predicted distance in meters for a male =
= (1.23 * (height)) + (1.76 * (change in heart rate)) + 554.16
predicted distance in meters for a female =
= (0.62 * (height)) + (1.66 * (change in heart rate)) + 526.79
Based on Figures 1 and 2, the following lines can be approximated (the actual data is actually slightly curved, so these are simplifications.
6MWD 50th percentile line in meters for males from 120 to 180 cm in height =
= (1.51 * (height)) + 452.8
6MWD 5th percentile line in meters for males from 120 to 180 cm in height =
= (1.225 * (height)) + 388
6MWD 50th percentile line in meters for females from 120 to 170 cm in height =
= (0.992 * (height)) + 498.96
6MWD 5th percentile line in meters for females from 120 to 170 cm in height =
= (0.854 * (height)) + 421.52
