Assessment of the Exercise Capacity of First Year Medical Students with the Gait Test

Authors

Keywords:

cardiopulmonary capacity, gait test

Abstract

Introduction: The 6-Minute Walk Test (TM6M) is a simple, practical test that requires no exercise equipment or advanced technician training. This test measures the distance a person can walk quickly on a hard, flat surface over a period of 6 minutes. It assesses the global and integrated responses of all systems involved during exercise, including cardiopulmonary capacity, systemic circulation, peripheral circulation, neuromuscular units, and muscle metabolism.General Objective: To describe the car- diopulmonary capacity of second semester medical students using the gait test.

Materials and Methods: The study design was quasi-experimental. The study consis- ted of evaluating the cardiopulmonary ca- pacity, expressed by the distance covered in meters by means of the 6-minute walk test to second semester students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the UNA during the (month) of the year 2023.The sample was calculated using the calculator available at the following link (https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/6-minute-walk-test) and a minimum sample of 113 students was obtained considering that 158 are students taking the Biophysics course.

Results: 46 students participated in this study, but when vital signs were evaluated, 7 were excluded because of elevated basal BP. Finally, 39 students performed the gait test to measure their cardiopulmonary capacity. 67% of the individuals included in the study were of high BP. Sixty-seven percent of the individuals inclu- ded were women. The mean age of the individuals was 21 years for both men and women. 61.5% of the females and 38.4% of the males were below 50% of the expected value for age and sex. Of the 39 students 1 reached the minimum distance expected for age and sex.

Conclusion: In this study we have observed that only one student reached the minimum distance expected for his age and sex, so that indirectly we have not verified an adequate cardiopulmonary capacity by means of the gait test.

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References

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Published

2023-06-28

How to Cite

Duarte Bogado, P. B., Duarte González, C. G., Escobar Romero, A. C. M., Espínola Ocampos, A. N., Estigarribia Riquelme , L. A., Fariña González, A. J., … Franco Cristaldo, F. I. (2023). Assessment of the Exercise Capacity of First Year Medical Students with the Gait Test. Revista Paraguaya De Biofísica, 3(1), 16–20. Retrieved from https://revistascientificas.una.py/index.php/rpb/article/view/4473

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Vol. 3 No. 1 (2023): January-June

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