Assessment of functional ability by anthropometric and physiological parameters during six-minute walk test in healthy children.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the functional ability and vitals of young children using six-minute walk test. METHODS: The analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2019 to January 2020 at public and private schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad after approval from the ethics review committee of Riphah College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Westridge Campus Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and comprised healthy children aged 7-12 years who were subjected to the six-minute walk test according to standardised guidelines. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements, distance walked in six minutes, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and rate of perceived exertion were the outcome variables. Data was analysed using SPSS 26. RESULTS: Of the 376 subjects, 225(59.8%) were boys and 151(40.2%) were girls. The mean age of the sample was 9.25±1.64 years. Mean distance covered by the children was 482.63±119.76 metres. Public school students performed better than those studying in private schools (p=0.001). The difference in gender terms was non-significant (p=0.926). Significant difference was observed in mean heart rate and respiratory rate post-walk (p<0.05). There was a weak positive correlation of the test with age and height (p<0.001), but not with weight, gender and body mass index (p>0.05). Conclusion: The level of functional ability of the young students improved with age and was better among those studying at public schools. Besides, anthropometric and physiological parameters influenced the text performance.

Comparison of exergaming and vestibular training on gaze stability, balance, and gait performance of older adults: A single blind randomized control trial.

Objectives: To compare the effects of exergaming and vestibular training on gaze stability, balance and gait performance of older adults. METHODS: The single-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted from August to October 2020 at the Doctor Raza Clinic, Swabi, Pakistan, and comprised individuals of both genders aged 60-75 years. The subjects were randomised into two groups using the sealed envelope method. Group 1 received exergaming, while group 2 received vestibular training 3 days a week for 6 weeks. The outcomes measures were dynamic gait index, time up and go test and non-instrumented dynamic visual acuity test. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 24 subjects, 12(50%) were in each of the two groups. Overall, there were 16(66%) males and 8(33%) females with a mean age of 66.3±4.36 years. Intra-group improvement was significant compared to the baseline (p<0.05) in both the differences, but inter-group differences across all parameters were non-significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both exergaming and vestibular training has similar effects on gaze stability, balance, and gait performance among the older adults. Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT04414462.