Comparison of walking performance with the 6-minute and the 2-minute walk tests in elderly living in the community and in a nursing home

Purpose: The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and the 2-minute walk test (2MWT) are common assessments of walking performance. The study aims to investigate the walking performance in elderly individuals living either in the community or in a nursing home. Methods: A convenience sample of 77 elderly individuals was assessed with both tests to investigate the test-retest reliability (ICC), to compare the performance between community and nursing home residents (ANOVA) and to study the correlation (r) between participants’ performance on both tests with age and physical activity. Results: The 6MWT and 2MWT showed excellent test-retest reliability (ICC=0.99). There was no significant difference in walking speed between the 6MWT and the 2MWT (p=0.320) and a strong correlation was observed between both tests (r=0.96, p<0.001). ROC curve analysis showed an excellent discrimination for both tests between community and nursing home residents, using cutoff values of 386.5 m for the 6MWT and of 132.5 m for the 2MWT. Moderate correlations were observed between walking distances and age (r=-0.61 for 2MWT and r=-0.69 for 6MWT, p<0.001). Conclusions: The 2MWT demonstrated a high test-retest reliability, no significant difference in walking speed, strong correlation and a comparable cutoff value to those of the 6MWT for assessing walking performance in elderly participants. Similar results highlight the clinical utility of the 2MWT as a time-effective alternative to the 6MWT to evaluate walking deterioration in elderly individuals.