Validity of 50m walking test in obese patients

Introduction: The 6-minute walking test (6MWT) is routinely applied to assess patients9 physical performance. Especially in the group of obese patients with or without COPD, this test is important to measure patient outcome, but could sometimes be difficult to conduct. It remains unclear if the 50-meter walking test (50mWT) can be applied as an easier yet reliable alternative in obese patients (BMI≥30 kg/m²). Methods: 18 obese participants (8 healthy, 10 COPD patients) underwent 6MWT and 50mWT. Results: 6MWT and 50mWT showed high overall correlation (r=-0.83, p Discussion: The 50mWT could be used as a reliable alternative to the 6MWT to assess physical performance in obese patients with our without COPD, in whom 6MWT might be difficult to apply.