Use of portable gas analyzers during pediatric field testing

Area of Science:

• Pediatric exercise physiology
• Cardiorespiratory fitness assessment
• Field-based testing in children

Background:

• Field tests are crucial for assessing physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children.
• The use of portable gas analyzers (PGA) can provide detailed physiological data but may influence test performance.
• Understanding the impact of PGA on pediatric field tests is essential for accurate and reproducible assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance and cardiorespiratory responses of healthy children in field tests with and without a portable gas analyzer (PGA).
• To analyze the reproducibility of these field tests when performed with and without PGA.
• To evaluate the impact of PGA use on the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), modified shuttle walk test (MSWT), and ADL-Glittre for pediatrics (TGlittre-P).

Main Methods:

• Inclusion of healthy children aged 6 to 14 years.
• Division into two groups: those performing tests with a PGA (GK) and those without (GS).
• Utilized the 6MWT, MSWT, and TGlittre-P for performance and cardiorespiratory response evaluation.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in 6MWT and MSWT performance between groups; however, cardiorespiratory responses were altered.
• The TGlittre-P was completed faster by the group using PGA (GK).
• All three tests demonstrated good intragroup reproducibility, but intergroup agreement (with vs. without PGA) was lacking.

Conclusions:

• PGA use resulted in a shorter completion time for the TGlittre-P in children.
• Cardiorespiratory performance and response in the 6MWT and MSWT were not significantly affected by PGA use.
• While the field tests are reproducible within individuals, the use of PGA impacts comparability between testing conditions.