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Abstract
Objective
The objective of this review was to summarise published studies reporting Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT) values for adults with and without long-term conditions, to compare these with the Walk Score®, and make recommendations for healthcare professionals, policy makers and urban planners.
Design
Scoping review.
Methods
Key databases - MEDLINE, CINAHL and EMBASE – were searched from January 2008 through March 2019 using combinations of MeSH terms and keywords for English language, peer reviewed, intervention or observational studies. Articles were included if the research included more than 10 participants, described or referenced the protocol and setting used for the 6MWT, and reported on 6MWT values. Mean shortest and longest distances walked in six minutes by people with and without long-term conditions were extracted, and differences compared between each value and the Walk Score® value.
Results
Two hundred and sixty-nine studies comprising approximately 28,170 participants were included in the review. Adults with long-term conditions achieved considerably shorter 6MWT values than adults without long-term conditions, and walked less distance than indicated by the Walk Score®.
Conclusions
The premise of the Walk Score® is applicable for adults without long-term conditions, but for the Walk Score® to be useful for adults with long-term conditions, it should be used only as a guide and if personal and environmental factors are also taken into consideration. The design of neighborhoods needs to be inclusively walkable so that people can ‘care for their own health’ through being physically active on an everyday basis.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Dr Kerry Mulligan for the conversations that set this review in motion. We would like to thank the University of Otago Librarians for their assistance in database searching. To Dr Michael Epton, Primary Investigator for WellConnectedNZ™ and the WellConnectedNZ™ project team for support of this research project.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Funding
This research was supported (in part) by the Long-Term Conditions research funding partnership between the Health Research Council of New Zealand, Healthier Lives National Science Challenge and the Ministry of Health, New Zealand.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Megan-Li Smith
The first five authors are Bachelor of Physiotherapy students in their final year of the programme. The review was undertaken as part of the requirements for their research paper. Drs Mulligan and Wilkinson co-supervised the project. The project area is a passion of Dr Mulligan’s, as encouraging physical activity and connection with one’s local environment is important for health and well-being. Dr Wilkinson thoroughly enjoys working together with students on their research projects, and her research interests lie in the area of long-term condition self-management and how healthcare professionals, services and policy can best support people living with long-term conditions.
Pranav Thiagarajan
The first five authors are Bachelor of Physiotherapy students in their final year of the programme. The review was undertaken as part of the requirements for their research paper. Drs Mulligan and Wilkinson co-supervised the project. The project area is a passion of Dr Mulligan’s, as encouraging physical activity and connection with one’s local environment is important for health and well-being. Dr Wilkinson thoroughly enjoys working together with students on their research projects, and her research interests lie in the area of long-term condition self-management and how healthcare professionals, services and policy can best support people living with long-term conditions.
Heather Edwards
The first five authors are Bachelor of Physiotherapy students in their final year of the programme. The review was undertaken as part of the requirements for their research paper. Drs Mulligan and Wilkinson co-supervised the project. The project area is a passion of Dr Mulligan’s, as encouraging physical activity and connection with one’s local environment is important for health and well-being. Dr Wilkinson thoroughly enjoys working together with students on their research projects, and her research interests lie in the area of long-term condition self-management and how healthcare professionals, services and policy can best support people living with long-term conditions.
Hilda Mulligan
The first five authors are Bachelor of Physiotherapy students in their final year of the programme. The review was undertaken as part of the requirements for their research paper. Drs Mulligan and Wilkinson co-supervised the project. The project area is a passion of Dr Mulligan’s, as encouraging physical activity and connection with one’s local environment is important for health and well-being. Dr Wilkinson thoroughly enjoys working together with students on their research projects, and her research interests lie in the area of long-term condition self-management and how healthcare professionals, services and policy can best support people living with long-term conditions.
Amanda Wilkinson
The first five authors are Bachelor of Physiotherapy students in their final year of the programme. The review was undertaken as part of the requirements for their research paper. Drs Mulligan and Wilkinson co-supervised the project. The project area is a passion of Dr Mulligan’s, as encouraging physical activity and connection with one’s local environment is important for health and well-being. Dr Wilkinson thoroughly enjoys working together with students on their research projects, and her research interests lie in the area of long-term condition self-management and how healthcare professionals, services and policy can best support people living with long-term conditions.