Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Physical Therapy - Department of Growth and development Disorders in Pediatrics

Background: The six-minute walk test is a reliable and valid functional test for assessing exercise tolerance and endurance. Objectives: The purposes of this study were to provide reference values of six-minute walk test for Lower-Egypt children (Cairo, El Beheira and Ismailia) aged from 6 to 11 years old and to compare between girls and boys regarding the standard values of the six-minute walk test. Methods: 900 Egyptian healthy children of both sexes participated in this study. They were recruited from different local primary schools located in three governorates in the Lower Egypt (Cairo, El-Beheira and Ismailia) on the basis of 300 children from each governorate. They were classified according to age into five groups with 180 children in each age group. The six-minute walk distance was measured for each child. Results: The overall mean of the six-minute walk distance was 589.79±4.68 meters. It was increased with age increment reaching to maximum value of 626.53 and 659.08 meters for girls and boys respectively at 10 years old. The results revealed a significant differences between girls and boys only after the age of 9 years. Conclusion: This study provided reference values of the six-minute walk test for healthy Egyptian children aged from 6-11 years which were affected by age and gender

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