Reference Equations for the ADL-Glittre Test in Pediatric Subjects

BACKGROUND: The ADL-Glittre test (TGlittre) was initially proposed to evaluate the activities of daily life (ADL) of adults with COPD that involve activities with the upper limbs in addition to walking. Recently, the test has been adapted for children (TGlittre-P), but no reference values have been proposed for its use in this population. The main objective of this study was to develop reference equations for the pediatric adaptation of the TGlittre. METHODS: A cross-sectional study carried out over a period of 19 months. Children 6-14 y old participated in the study. The study was rigorously controlled based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire and on normal spirometry. Study subjects were evaluated for their biometric data (ie, weight, height, body mass index, body surface area, and length of the lower limbs) and spirometric data. Subjects then performed 2 TGlittre-P tests with an interval of 30 min between them. Statistical analysis included a Pearson correlation test to verify a correlation between time spent on the TGlittre-P and biometric variables such as gender and age. Subsequently, a multiple regression analysis was conducted for those variables. The level of signficance was set at a P of 0.05. RESULTS: Eighty-seven children (44 girls) participated in the study. Age was the predictive variable with the greatest influence on the time spent on the TGlittre-P (male: adjusted R-2 = 39.6%; female: adjusted R-2 = 25.2%). The following equations were established: time spent on the TGlittre-P = 3.781 - 0.083 x age (female), and time spent on the TGlittre-P = 4.025 - 0.123 x age (male). CONCLUSIONS: TGlittre-P reference equations were developed for females and males, with age being the most influential predictive variable in the test performed by children.