A Study To Investigate Differences In Walking Speed Of Overweight Children By Using A Six-Minute Walking Test

Sammanfattning

Overweight and obesity are a major problem today. It is a growing problem that harms health and is present in all ages. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between ISO-Body Mass Index in overweight children both boys and girls, and walking speed regardless of height. In addition, examine the relationship between weight, height and walking speed by using a six-minute walking test. The study included already collected measurements from the patients' first visit at the Energy Metabolic Laboratory, which is a research unit at the Department of Women's and Children's Health at the academic Hospital in Uppsala, between the years 2008–2021. Results were collected on 195 patients, 122 boys and 73 girls. Data collected were age, weight, height, walking speed, walking distance, heart rate, level of exertion and dyspnea. The results showed that the ISO-Body Mass Index affects walking speed in obese children. Regarding how walking speed differs between both genders of obese children, the results showed that higher ISO-Body Mass Index in boys leads to them walking more slowly compared to girls who are less affected. To be able to demonstrate how walking speed is affected by other continuous variables such as encouragement or motivation, more studies with greater focus on smaller age groups are needed to gain a better understanding of how the various variables affect walking speed.