Estimating endurance training intensity prescription from the 6-minute stepper test in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a multicenter cross-sectional study with external validation

BACKGROUND: Home-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) can enhance accessibility to PR, but no at-home field exercise test has been validated for individualized endurance training prescriptions. RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the accuracy of the six-minute stepper test (6MST) in estimating endurance training intensity as determined during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET)? STUDY DESIGN AND METHOD: ), and peak power output (Ppeak). Predictive equations were tested for external validity using data from two prior studies. RESULTS: and 60% of Ppeak. INTERPRETATION: The 6MST offers a reliable method to set initial training intensity when CPET is unavailable. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02842463.