Dear Nicole,

I recommend the "6 minute walk test", however there are others test which you will can adaptate to your research. So, this test that I recommended, its no difficult to apply and analyse posteriorly the results. In any way I sent to you an interesting paper in which you will look many different types of test possibles to your specific case. 

I hope this helps.

http://www.rehabmeasures.org/Lists/RehabMeasures/DispForm.aspx?ID=895

The ACSM has a formula for determining oxygen consumption per minute using stepping rate and height that is considered valid and reliable (ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (9th Ed.) 2014).  The formula VO2(ml/kg/min) = (0.2 x steps/min) + (1.33 x 1.8 x steps/min x step height) + 3.5 from page 173 of the ACSM Guidelines referenced above is used to determine oxygen consumption per minute. This allows you to develop your own test as described below.

Step Tests generally use stepping rates or frequencies of 22 s/min for women and 24 s/min for men; however step rates of 26 and 30 s/min have been used and rates as low as 20 s/min may be required for older persons or persons with chronic illnesses or injuries. Step heights are generally in excess of 12 – 16 inches (0.3048 – 0.4064 meters), it should be recognized that in normal populations above the age of 50 muscular strength is not exceptional and most clients will be overweight, if not obese. Therefore asking them to lift their body weight 1 foot, 20 – 30 times per minute, for three minutes, will for a considerable number of those persons involved be a Herculean effort. In an example from our practice, a 30 year old was required to lift their body weight 0.413 meters, 22 times per minute. Each minute the subject performed 783.28 kg*m/min of positive work for a power output of 5.819 W. The subject had a theoretical VO2 of 29.7064 ml/kg/min, at the 1 minute mark the subject had no problems but stumbled at 1:50 and should have been halted at that point. If we predict she was at approximately 60% of max at the 1 minute mark, the predicted VO2max would be in the range of 35 – 40 ml/kg/min, which for a 30 year old female would be between the 45th and 70th %ile, for a rating of Fair to Good. However her pulse was not recorded so it is impossible to compare her heart rate response to this 1 minute performance.

Step Tests:

The information below provides the user with a full functional battery of step tests to use with persons from 30 – 70+ years of age. The goal is to match the test to the client. We do not want to give a client a test that they are unable to complete in a safe manner. We also do not want the test to be so easy that it provides very little useful information about the client’s physical condition. While persons between 30 and 60 may be fairly well conditioned and capable of doing the step test using the 16.25 inch (41.3 cm or 0.413 m) step, clients over the age of 60 who may have some types of mobility issues will be presented with a near maximal performance.

We have selected a series of tests with step heights of 6, 8, 10, and 12 inches. The heights were selected based on the fact that stairs in houses and other buildings range in height from slightly over 6 inches to about 8 inches, that makes the test and training using the test protocol a functional activity that will affect the client’s quality of life and ability to perform activities of daily living. Since the initial height of 6 inches multiplied by 20 is 120 inches, this represents an approximate rise of 10 feet per minute (in reality it is only half that because the test is done up, up, down, down so the actual rise is only 5 feet per minute); but this allows us to relate the test to going up three flights of stairs to the person taking the test. The fact is, however, that it does provide a similar stress to the body as stair climbing and anyone who has ever watched television knows that stairs represent a major obstacle for older persons to negotiate. By using the test as an exercise during the person’s program we can train them to become more effective at stair climbing and over time demonstrate substantial changes in aerobic capacity, strength, and functional capabilities. More importantly, they will be able to see changes in their everyday life and activities which are directly related to their exercise program at our facility.

Since resting metabolic rate is generally accepted as 3.5 ml/kg/min (though a major study published in 2013, (Hand GA, RP Shook , AE Paluch , M Baruth , EP Crowley , JR Jaggers , VK Prasad , TG Hurley , JR Hebert , DP O'Connor , E Archer , S Burgess, SN Blair. The Energy Balance Study: The Design and Baseline Results for a Longitudinal Study of Energy Balance, Res Q Exerc Sport. 84(3):275-286, 2013. DOI: 10.1080/02701367.2013.816224) reported measured values of 2.88 + 0.36 ml/kg/min for women; and 3.04 + 0.33 ml/kg/min for men in a study population of four hundred and thirty (218 women and 212 men) young adults between the ages of 21 and 35 (with a body mass index between 20 and 35 kg/m2) subtracting either the standard 3.5 or the sex specific values from the Energy Balance Study (EBS) referenced above will provide a predicted value of VO2max Reserve, which is strongly related to Heart Rate Reserve (HRR). Since a 1 minute heart rate measurement is performed at the end of the step test, a significant measure of aerobic performance (the heart rate) that can be used to determine what amount of HRR is utilized in the test. We can then use that percentage to calculate the percentage of VO2max Reserve used to complete the test and then determine the predicted VO2max. A numerical example follows:

Subject: 70 year old female client

RHR: 82 bpm

TMHR: 220 – 82 = 138 bpm

HRR: 138 – 82 = 56 bpm

40% HRR = 82 + (.4 x 56) = 82 + 22.4 = 104.4 bpm

60% HRR = 82 + (.6 x 56) = 82 + 33.6 = 115.6 bpm

80% HRR = 82 + (.8 x 56) = 82 + 44.8 = 126.8 bpm

It is not recommended to take a person of this age too close to 80% due to the fact that the higher percentage of HRR attained, the greater chances of cardiac events and without electrocardiographic capabilities, a reasonable person would not go anywhere near that area of performance. Generally, most women of this age will begin to complain rather loudly about the strenuous nature of the test and want to quit. Additionally, use of the RPE will tell you how they are feeling and that should be enough to keep you in the “safe” zone of 40 – 60%.

We also use the Walking Impairment Questionnaire which specifically addresses the ability of the person to perform stair climbing tasks, which will be used to select a theoretically appropriate step height and stepping rate. The step height and stepping rate will provide an estimate of required oxygen consumption against which the HRR can be measured.

Suppose our 70 year old female subject performed the three minute test at a stepping rate of 20 steps per minute (80 bpm on the metronome) on a 6 inch step. Converting 6 inches to meters gives a height of 0.1524 meters [(6 x 2.54)/100]. The stepping rate is 20 s/min. each minute the subject used 14.8125 ml/kg/min O2 [(0.2 ml/kg/min x 20 s/min) + (2.394 ml/kg/min x 20 s/min x 0.1524 m) + 3.5 ml/kg/min]. Her heart rate at the end of the test was recorded at 39 beats in 20 seconds for a HR of 117 bpm.

So we have a HR of 117 bpm and an oxygen consumption of 14.8125 ml/kg/min. Her HR of 117 represents what percentage of her HRR?

HR = 117

RHR = 82

HRR = 56

%HRR = 117 – 82 = 35                      35/56 = 0.625 = 62.5% HRR

Check %HRR: 82 + (0.625 x 56) = 117 bpm

 The test required an oxygen consumption of 14.8125 ml/kg/min. Using the EBS resting metabolic rate value of 2.88 for a woman, we subtract: 14.8125 – 2.88 = 11.9325 ml/kg/min.

11.9325/0.625 = VO2max R = 19.092 ml/kg/min + 2.88 ml/kg/min = 21.972 ml/kg/min = VO2max

A VO2max of 21.972 ml/kg/min is about the 15th %ile or very poor, but the good news is that the poorer the person’s physical condition is initially, the faster and the steeper the rate of improvement.

One test that could meet your needs is the Chester Step Test (Buckley et al. 2004; http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/38/2/197.full).  It was originally designed for use in assessing firefighters fitness levels but has been used in various populations since then.  It takes no more than 10 minutes to complete and you can also calculate an estimated peak VO2 reading.  The minimal equipment required for the test can be purchased from this website: http://www.fireservice.co.uk/fitness/chester-step-test.  I have previously taught physiotherapy students how to use it so hopefully it might be useful to you.

Thank you to everyone for your replies and suggestions. I will have a look at all options and decide which is best for our study.

Kind regards,

Nicole

It depends on which population you want to assess. Most aerobic capacity tests are not expensive. The "classic" Cooper (1968) 12 minute run test is a standard, however you will need a track, and people should be a little more experimented with pacing. The 1 mile walk test (Kline protocol) is also practical and particularly relevant when working with older population or more sedentary people. 

Cooper step test, Rockport walk, multi-stage-fitness test.

I agree with Jean that it depends upon the population you are testing.  For chronic populations with respiratory and cardiac disease the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT) is a well established measure of exercise function.  It has an advantage over the 6MWT of being a maximal incremental test that, not sub-maximal in protocol.  Both the 6MWT and the ISWT relate strongly to VO2Peak (GOLD Standard measure for exercise testing; ATS/ACCP 2003).  The ISWT has age specific normal values for a healthy British population (JCRP 2013; 33(5): 309).  A recent Systematic Review (2014 - Singh et al, Eur Respir J 2014; 44: 1447–1478) provides a valuable update of the main field walking tests available for use in the chronic respiratory population (including the 6MWT and the ISWT).  Both the 6MWT and the ISWT require minimal equipment but do require space for conducting the test (at least 30 and 10 m respectively) and both require familiarisation for valid and reliable data capture.  They are both responsive to exercise based interventions.

You have a number of great choices.  Good Luck.

Borg's scale. 

i think Harvard Step It is a simple test

Kind regards

Hamdy

http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/step-harvard.htm

http://www.topendsports.com/testing/aerobic.htm

Try the Chester step test, it is easy to run, takes 10 minutes to conduct, has been validated against Vo2 max, can be modified for use with different groups through alterations in step height.

Thanks to all for all of your suggestions. I really appreciate it!

kind regards,

Nicole