European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 12, 5 (2019)

The effect of a pacer versus no-pacer on submaximal fitness test results among Special Olympics athletes

Viviene A. Temple1,*, Kendal F. Alston2, Jaymie J. Elder1, Lynneth Stuart-Hill1
1 School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
2 Community Supports, BC Ministry of Health

Using a pacer when administering fitness tests reduces the practicality of testing. Additionally, presuming that a pacer is needed for all Special Olympics athletes is potentially discriminatory. We examined the need for a pacer to enhance performance and the test retest-reliability of the six-minute walk test administered with a pacer (Criterion-m6MWT) and without a pacer (No-pacer 6MWT).  Participants were n=18 Special Olympics athletes (men = 12, Mean age=37 years (SD=10.1) with low support needs. After familiarization, participants completed the Criterion-m6MWT and the No-pacer 6MWT. The order of the tests was randomized. A week later, participants completed these tests again. There were no significant differences between any of the walk distances and both the Criterion-m6MWT and the No-pacer 6MWT had high test-retest reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients =.90 and .93, respectively. The interclass correlation coefficients between the first administration of the Criterion-m6MWT and both of the No-Pacer tests were not as strong (i.e. r=.65 and r=.65) as the relationships between the second administration of the Criterion-m6MWT and both No-Pacer tests (r=.81 and r=.87). These results suggest that adult Special Olympics athletes with relatively low support needs can perform the 6MWT without a pacer if the familiarization process is expanded to include a complete 6MWT.

Keywords: Intellectual disability, cardiorespiratory, psychometrics

Received: August 16, 2018; Accepted: March 11, 2019; Prepublished online: April 5, 2019; Published: May 1, 2019  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Temple, V.A., Alston, K.F., Elder, J.J., & Stuart-Hill, L. (2019). The effect of a pacer versus no-pacer on submaximal fitness test results among Special Olympics athletes. European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 12(1), 5
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. American College of Sports Medicine. (2017). ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (Vol. 10). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
    2. American Thoracic Society. (2002). ATS statement: Guidelines for the six-minute walk test. American Journal Of Respiratory And Critical Care Medicine, 166, 111-117. Go to original source...
    3. Bingchen, A., Kerong, D., Zhenan, Z., You, W., Yongqiang, H., Tingting, T., & Huanqing, Y. (2008). Baduanjin alleviates the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 14, 167-174. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Boer, P. H., & Moss, S. J. (2016). Validity of the 16-metre PACER and six-minute walk test in adults with Down syndrome. Disability and Rehabilitation, 38(26), 2575-2583. doi:10.3109/09638288.2015.1137982 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Brown, C. D., & Wise, R. A. (2007). Field tests of exercise in COPD: The six-minute walk test and the shuttle walk test. Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 4, 217-223. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. (2002). Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire - PAR-Q. In. Retrieved from http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/publications/parq/par-q.pdf
    7. Casey, A. F., Wang, X., & Osterling, K. (2012). Test-retest reliability of the 6-Minute Walk Test in individuals with Down Syndrome. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 93(11), 2068-2074. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Cronbach, L. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297-334. Go to original source...
    9. Dairo, Y. M., Collett, J., Dawes, H., & Oskrochi, G. R. (2016). Physical activity levels in adults with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review. Preventive Medicine Reports, 4, 209-219. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.06.008 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Draheim, C. C., Williams, D. P., & McCubbin, J. A. (2002). Prevalence of physical inactivity and recommended physical activity in community-based adults with mental retardation. Mental Retardation, 40, 436-444. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. Falvo, M. J., & Earhart, G. M. (2009). Six-minute walk distance in person with Parkinson's disease: A hierarchical regression model. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 90, 1004-1008. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Fernhall, B., & Tymeson, G. T. (1988). Validation of cardiovascular fitness field tests for adults with mental retardation. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 5(1), 49-59. Go to original source...
    13. Field, A. (2013). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (4 ed.). Thousand Oaks,CA: SAGE.
    14. Fitzgerald, D., Hickey, C., Delahunt, E., Walsh, M., & O'Brien, T. (2016). Six-minute walk test in children with spastic cerebral palsy and children developing typically. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 28(2), 192-199. doi:10.1097/pep.0000000000000224 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Fogelholm, M. (2010). Physical activity, fitness and fatness: relations to mortality, morbidity and disease risk factors. A systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 11, 202-221. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Gruet, M., Brisswalter, J., Mely, L., & Vallier, J. M. (2010). Use of the peak heart rate reached during six-minute walk test to predict individualized training intensity in patients with cystic fibrosis: Validity and reliability. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 91, 602-607. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Guerra-Balic, M., Oviedo, G. R., Javierre, C., Fortuno, J., Barnet-Lopez, S., Nino, O., . . . Fernhall, B. (2015). Reliability and validity of the 6-min walk test in adults and seniors with intellectual disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 47, 144-153. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.09.011 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Iacono, T. (2006). Ethical challenges and complexities of including people with intellectual disability as participants in research. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 31(3), 173-179. doi:10.1080/13668250600876392 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Kittredge, J. M., Rimmer, J. H., & Looney, M. A. (1994). Validation of the Rockport Fitness Walking Test for adults with mental retardation. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 26, 95-102. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Larsen, H. B., Nolan, T., Borch, C., & Sondergaard, H. (2005). Training response of adolescent Kenyan town and village boys to endurance running. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 15, 48-57. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Lavay, B., Reid, G., & Cressler-Chaviz, M. (1990). Measuring the cardiovascular endurance of persons with mental retardation: a critical review. Exercise & Sport Sciences Reviews, 18, 263-290. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Mitchell, T. L., Gibbons, L. W., Devers, S. M., & Earnest, C. P. (2004). Effects of cardiorespiratory fitness on healthcare utilization. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 36(12), 2088-2092. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Møller, T. K., Nielsen, T. T., Andersen, R., Lundager, I., Hansen, H. F., Ottesen, L., . . . Randers, M. B. (2018). Health effects of 12 Weeks of team-sport training and fitness training in a community health centre for sedentary men with lifestyle diseases. BioMed Research International, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2018/1571807 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. Nasuti, G., Stuart-Hill, L., & Temple, V. A. (2013). The six-minute walk test for adults with intellectual disability: A study of validity and reliability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 38(1), 31-38. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Oppewal, A., Hilgenkamp, T. I. M., van Wijck, R., Schoufour, J. D., & Evenhuis, H. M. (2014). Physical fitness is predictive for a decline in daily functioning in older adults with intellectual disabilities: Results of the HA-ID study. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 35(10), 2299-2315. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.05.027 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Pitetti, K. H., & Fernhall, B. (2005). Mental retardation. In J. S. Skinner (Ed.), Exercise testing and exercise prescription for special cases: Theoretical basis and clinical application (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
    27. Ries, J. D., Echternach, J. L., Nof, L., & Gagnon Blodgett, M. (2009). Test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change scores for the timed "up & go" test, the six-minute walk test, and gait speed in people with Alzheimer disease. Physical Therapy, 89, 569-579. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Rintala, P., McCubbin, J. A., & Dunn, J. M. (1995). Familiarization process in cardiorespiratory fitness testing for persons with mental retardation. Sports Medicine, Training, and Rehabilitation, 5, 15-27. Go to original source...
    29. Salaun, L., & Berthouze-Aranda, S. E. (2012). Physical fitness and fatness in adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(3), 231-239. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3148.2012.00659.x Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Serra, A. J., de Carvalho, P., Lanza, F., de Amorim Flandes, C., Silva, S. C., Suzuki, F. S., . . . Silva, J. A. (2015). Correlation of six-minute walking performance with quality of life is domain- and gender-specific in healthy older adults. PLoS ONE, 10(2), 1-8. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117359 Go to original source...
    31. Special Olympics. (2016). Special Olympics Annual Report. In (pp. 23). Retrieved from http://www.specialolympics.org/Common/Reach_Report.aspx
    32. Special Olympics Inc. (2012). Special Olympics Official General Rules. In (pp. 126). Retrieved from http://media.specialolympics.org/soi/files/resources/General-Information/General%20Rules/AmendedGeneralRules02_FINAL.pdf
    33. Temple, V. A., & Walkley, J. W. (2003). Physical activity of adults with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 28, 323-334. Go to original source...
    34. Thompson, J. R., Bryant, B. R., Campbell, E. M., Craig, E. M., Hughes, C. M., Rotholz, D. A., . . . Wehmeyer, M. (2004). Supports Intensity Scale (SIS). Washington, DC: American Association on Mental Retardation. Go to original source...
    35. Waninge, A., Evenhuis, I. J., van Wijck, R., & van der Schans, C. P. (2011). Feasibility and reliability of two different walking tests in people with severe intellectual and sensory disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 24(6), 518-527. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3148.2011.00632.x Go to original source...
    36. Zeno, S. A., Kim-Dorner, S., Deuster, P. A., Davis, J. L., Remaley, A. T., & Poth, M. (2010). Cardiovascular fitness and risk factors of healthy African Americans and Caucasians. Journal of the National Medical Association, 102, 28-35. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content