Correlation between Six Minute Walk Test and Physiological Cost Index in Healthy Indian Females

Objective To analyze the correlation between Physiological Cost Index and the 6 Minute Walk Test Parameters and demographics. Participants Convenience samples of 24 healthy females, age between 25 to 50 years. Intervention PCI, was calculated after measuring the resting vitals, where subject walked at self-selected speed, wearing an ambulatory heart rate meter. For six minute walk test, the subject was asked to walk for six minutes so as to cover maximal distance possible, which was measured, along with posttest vitals to arrive at values of distance covered, VO2max, change in HR, and SBP. Result Mean age was 33.98.248 years. Mean height of the subjects was 155.2 5.414 cm. Mean weight was 58.3 12.855 kg, mean BMI was 23.864.996 kg/m2, mean 6MWD was 444.4 53.05 meters, mean VO2 max was 35.53 3.225 ml. kg-1. min-1, mean rise in heart rate was 35.718.1 beats per minute, mean rise in SBP was 10.83 3.985 mm of Hg, and mean PCI was 0.42564 beats per meter. A Pearson correlation between the studied variables and PCI was found to be moderately positively correlated with weight, height, BMI, 6MWD, increase in heart rate post exercise. There was a mild negative correlation between PCI and age, as well as change in SBP. However, VO2 max did not correlate with PCI values. Conclusion Physiological cost of walking in normal Indian females is directly associated with the weight, BMI, 6MWD, increase in heart rate post exercise of the individual. However, the inverse relation between SBP and PCI, and no correlation with VO2 max needs to be investigated further.