Value of the 3-min walk test and its association with motor functions in older adults

ABSTRACT

Background

The 3-min walk test (3MWT) has been used in the clinical setting.

Objective

To present the 3MWT value and investigate its association with motor and respiratory functions of healthy older adults.

Methods

Two hundred six older adults and 27 younger adults were enrolled. The 3MWT was assessed by the walking distance within 3 min. Knee extension muscle strength (KEMS), 5-repetition sit-to-stand (5 R-STS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume 1.0 (FEV1.0), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) were measured. The 3MWT distance was examined by age group (18–39, 60–69, 70–79, and 80–89 years). A multivariate regression analysis investigated the association between 3MWT and motor function test.

Results

The 3MWT values in each age group were 273–385, 233–414, 93–351, and 171–345 m for men and 215–375, 220–349, 198–325, and 174–332 m for women respectively. The 3MWT values were correlated with age, body mass index (BMI), KEMS, 5 R-STS, TUG, FVC, FEV1.0, MEP, and MIP. On the multivariate regression analysis, 3MWT was significantly associated with BMI (standard beta = −0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], −3.20 to 0.83), KEMS (standard beta = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.06–0.13), 5 R-STS (standard beta = −0.13; 95% CI, −5.70 to −0.13), and TUG (standard beta = −0.36; 95% CI, −17.15 to −7.73) in older adults (adjusted R² = 0.47).

Conclusions

The 3MWT distance decreased with age and was associated with motor and respiratory functions. No range trends were observed among groups. Our findings suggest that 3MWT reflects functional capacity.

KEYWORDS:

• 3-min walk test
• older adults
• lower body strength
• balance

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the individuals who participated in the study. We also express our gratitude to everyone who helped with our research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.