Prediction equations for distance walked in the incremental shuttle walking test and the modified shuttle test in children and adolescents

Objectives: To provide a review of studies on prediction equations for the distance walked in the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT) and Modified Shuttle Test (MST) in healthy children and adolescents and the methodology used. Materials and methods: Literature review carried out in the databases MEDLINE (US National Library of Medicine), SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), EMBASE, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Scopus, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) and The Cochrane Library with period of publication of studies from January 2000 to May 2024. Terms used: shuttle test, reference values, normative values, reference equation, healthy children, healthy adolescents, distance. Searching in gray literature was allowed. Results: There are few studies that proposed reference values or prediction equations for the distance walked in the ISWT or MST in healthy children and adolescents. The predictor variables used in the equations in all studies were sex, age, and BMI. In all studies, boys had a greater distance walked than girls. The r2 values described were between 0.48 and 0.54, and all equations were performed in single centers with a sample ranging from 108 to 180 participants. Conclusion: There are equations available for ISWT and its modified version, however R2 values are relatively low, and the sample is not very representative of the population.