“Test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change in TGlittre-P test in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis”

Abstract

Objective

to provide test-retest reliability for the TGlittre-P in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CFG) and healthy controls (HCG), to establish the minimal detectable change for time in TGlittre-P and comparing the performance in the TGlittre-P test between these populations.

Method

A cross-sectional study evaluated 36 children and adolescents aged 6 to 13. Anthropometric and spirometric evaluation was performed, as well as, on the same day, two TGlittre-P tests with a 30-minute interval between them.

Results

TGlittre-P time test-retest reliability was excellent for both groups (CFG: intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.849, p < 0.001 and HCG: ICC = 0.913, p < 0.001). As concerning absolute reliability, the time spent presented a small variability with a standard error of measurement of 8.4 s (s) to CFG and 5.3 s to HCG. The minimal detectable change at 95% confidence level (MDC95) was 23.2 s and 14.6 s, respectively. There was no difference between the groups regarding performance in the TGlittre-P test (CFG 179.1 s ± 25.7 s vs. HCG 174.7 s ± 22.3 s) p = 0.589.

Conclusion

The TGlittre-P is a reliable tool in children and adolescents with CF and healthy controls. The TGlittre-P appears not to be sensitive enough to discriminate a group of children and adolescents with mild cystic fibrosis from healthy counterparts.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• TGlittre-P is a multitasking test that has been used to assess the functional capacity of children and adolescents with chronic diseases.

• TGlittre-P has excellent reliability in children and adolescents with and without CF.

• TGlittre-P differences time greater than 12% could indicate changes in the functional capacity of children and adolescents with CF.

• Other functional capacity tests may be preferred to detect continuous increases in functional capacity through rehabilitation or training, whether children and adolescents obtain performance values close to 100% of predicted.

Keywords:

• Child
• cystic fibrosis
• daily activities
• exercise test
• observer variation
• reproducibility of tests

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank those who supported the data acquisition and we thank all the children, adolescents and family members who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by FAPESC - Support for Scientific and Technological Research Foundation of Santa Catarina State the under Grant [N 2017TR645].