The relationship between longitudinal change in 6-minute walk distance and physical function in the elderly requiring long-term care.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between longitudinal changes in 6-minute walk distance and physical function in elderly people requiring long-term care. The subjects were 93 elderly people (age: 81.8±6.5 years, 33 males and 60 females) requiring long-term care who use outpatient rehabilitation. Those who improved their 6-minute walk distance by at least 17.8 m from baseline to 6 months were defined as the improvement group (n=52), and the others were defined as the nonimprovement group (n=41). A repeated measures two-way ANOVA was performed with group (improving and non-improving groups) and time (baseline and 6 months later) as the two factors. The results showed an interaction effect on quadriceps muscle strength, walking speed, and TUG. Only the improvement group showed significant improvement after 6 months for all items. In addition, many items showed moderate effect sizes. These results indicate that improvement in the 6-minute walk distance in elderly people requiring long-term care is associated with improvement in a complex of physical functions such as quadriceps muscle strength, walking speed, and dynamic balance ability.