The 6MWT was performed over a 45m long straight
course within an enclosed level corridor. To allow
familiarisation with the protocol, subjects performed
the test three times separated by 20 min
rest intervals. The same investigator (BC) supervised
all tests. The temperature of the corridor was
25.871.5 1C and humidity was below 55% during
all tests.
Taped standardised instructions (modified from
Sciurba and Slivka9) were played to subjects prior
to each 6MWT. Subjects were told to ‘‘walk as
quickly as you can for six minutes so that you cover
as much ground as possible.’’ They were informed
that they could slow down or rest if necessary. At
the end of each minute subjects were given
feedback on the elapsed time and standardised
encouragement in the form of statements such as
‘‘you’re doing well, keep it up’’ and ‘‘do your
best.17’’