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12 Minute Walking Test
Availability
Please visit this website for more information about the instrument: 12 Minute Walking Test
Classification
Supplemental: Mitochondrial Disease (Mito)
Short Description of Instrument
The 12 Minute Walking Test (12MWT) was developed to measure aerobic fitness and exercise tolerance. It is based on the Cooper 12-minute Run-Walk Test, which was developed for healthy individuals (Cooper, 1968).
 
Participants try to cover as much distance as possible in a 12-minute period. The test provides a comparison of a participant's cardiovascular endurance with others of their age and gender.
Comments/Special Instructions
Distance: Record the total number of miles or kilometers traveled by the participant in 12 minutes.
 
Equipment: Timer
 
Location: This test should be conducted on a track with clearly marked distances or on a treadmill.
Scoring and Psychometric Properties
Scoring: Scoring is completed by recording the distance covered during the 12-minute period.
 
Psychometric Properties: The 12MWT is a reproducible measure of effort tolerance in chronic bronchitis (McGavin et al., 1976).
 
There is a high correlation between the distance a person can run or walk in 12 minutes and their VO2 max value (Cooper, 1968).
 
The 12MWT shows acceptable inter- and intra-rater reliability and high intertest correlations when used to assess walking in stroke patients (Kosak et al., 2005).
Rationale/Justification
Strengths: The test is inexpensive and simple to perform.
 
Weaknesses: Practice and pacing may be required, and performance on this test can be affected greatly by motivation.
References
Key Reference:
McGavin CR, Gupta SP, McHardy GJ. Twelve-minute walking test for assessing disability in chronic bronchitis. Br Med J. 1976 Apr 3;1(6013):822-3.
 
Additional References:
Bernstein ML, Despars JA, Singh NP, Avalos K, Stansbury DW, Light RW. Reanalysis of the 12-minute walk in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chest. 1994 Jan;105(1):163-7.
 
Butland RJ, Pang J, Gross ER, Woodcock AA, Geddes DM. Two-, six-, and 12-minute walking tests in respiratory disease. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1982 May 29;284(6329):1607-8.
 
Cooper KH. A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake. Correlation between field and treadmill testing. JAMA. 1968 Jan 15;203(3):201-4.
 
Harmatz P, Giugliani R, Schwartz I, Guffon N, Teles EL, Miranda MC, Wraith JE, Beck M, Arash L, Scarpa M, Yu ZF, Wittes J, Berger KI, Newman MS, Lowe AM, Kakkis E, Swiedler SJ; MPS VI Phase 3 Study Group. Enzyme replacement therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis VI: a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational study of recombinant human N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase (recombinant human arylsulfatase B or rhASB) and follow-on, open-label extension study. J Pediatr. 2006 Apr;148(4):533-9.
 
Kosak M, Smith T. Comparison of the 2-, 6-, and 12-minute walk tests in patients with stroke. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2005 Jan-Feb;42(1):103-7.
 
Leitch AG, Hopkin JM, Ellis DA, Merchant S, McHardy GJ. The effect of aerosol ipratropium bromide and salbutamol on exercise tolerance in chronic bronchitis. Thorax. 1978 Dec;33(6):711-3.
 
McGavin CR, Artvinli M, Naoe H, McHardy GJ. Dyspnoea, disability, and distance walked: comparison of estimates of exercise performance in respiratory disease. Br Med J. 1978 Jul 22;2(6132):241-3.
 
Morgan AD, Peck DF, Buchanan DR, McHardy GJ. Effect of attitudes and beliefs on exercise tolerance in chronic bronchitis. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1983 Jan 15;286(6360):171-3.
 
Pattni J, Godfrey R, Chatfield S, Booth S, Quinlivan R. Reference values for the 12 minute walk test in McArdle patients. Neuromuscul Disord. 2020 Oct;30(10):862-5.
 
Document last updated March 2024