Reference equations for the 6-minute walk test in healthy children and adolescents allow for better assessment and comparison of outcomes in young patients with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
The 6MWT in children and adolescents is feasible and practical. The 6MWT distance depends mainly on age; however, heart rate after the 6MWT, height and weight significantly add information and should be taken into account mainly in adolescents. Reference equations allow predicting 6-minute walk test distance and may help to better assess and compare outcomes in young patients with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and are highly warranted for different populations.
Ulrich et al. (2013) studied this question.