Habitual physical activity score as a predictor of the 6-min walk test distance in healthy adults.

BACKGROUND: The 6-min walk test (6MWT) is a simple, inexpensive test of functional exercise capacity. The 6MWT distance (6MWD) in healthy adults varies geographically, emphasizing the need for population-specific reference equations. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influences of the habitual physical activity (HPA) score and other anthropometric and demographic parameters on the variability of the 6MWD among healthy adults and to propose a reference equation. METHODS: This was a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study. The 6MWT was conducted in a 30-m hospital corridor on 201 healthy volunteers, 125 men and 76 women, aged 20-60 years. The HPA in the previous 6 months was assessed using Baecke's questionnaire. Univariate analysis followed by multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze the significance levels of different probable predictors. RESULTS: The 6MWD was significantly greater in more active than in less active subjects (663.8±55.4m vs. 599.9±67.8m, p<0.001). The regression analysis showed that the subject's age in years (p=0.017), gender (p=0.006), height in cm (p=0.004), weight in kg (p<0.001), total activity score (TS) (p<0.001), and absolute difference in heart rate before and after exercise (p<0.001) could explain 48.9% of the variability in the 6MWD in healthy adults. CONCLUSIONS: The HPA score is probably the most appropriate variable to include in the reference equation predicting the 6MWD in healthy adults from the Indian subcontinent.

Dietary Habits of Hazardous Drinkers and Heavy Episodic Drinkers in Partial Area of Gyeonggi

The purpose of this study is to assess dietary habits of the hazardous drinkers and the heavy episodic drinkers in Korean adults. The respondents consisted of 814 adults (415 male and 399 female) who are 20~69 years of age by random selection in partial area of Gyeonggi. A self-report questionnaire was used to cover questions regarding dietary habits, drinking behavior and physical activity. Total dietary habit scores in hazardous drinker group (63.25) was significantly lower than normal drinker group (68.61) in male respondents (P<0.001). Male hazardous drinker group less eat fruit (P<0.01), eat more processed food (P<0.01) than male normal drinker group. Female hazardous drinker group doesn't eat 3 meals a day than female normal drinker group. Total dietary habit scores in heavy episodic drinker group [occasional heavy episodic drinker (62.76), frequent heavy episodic drinker (63.77)] were significantly lower than abstainer group (69.16) in male respondents (P<0.001). Male heavy episodic drinker group less eat fruit (P<0.01), eats more processed food (P<0.01), salty food (P<0.001), sugary food (P<0.05), animal fat (P<0.01) and eats out often (P<0.01) than male abstainer group. Male heavy episodic drinker group significantly less apply nutrition knowledge to their life (P<0.05) and less exercise everyday-more than 1 hour (P<0.01) than male abstainer group. In drinking behavior index, AUDIT (alcohol use disorder identification test) score was negatively correlated with age (P<0.01). There was a positive correlation between dietary habits and physical activity (P<0.01) but there was negative correlation between dietary habits and AUDIT score (P<0.01). This study highlights that AUDIT score was negatively influenced dietary habits.