@article{ref1,
title="Ecological validity of walking capacity tests in multiple sclerosis",
journal="PLoS one",
year="2015",
author="Stellmann, J. P. and Neuhaus, A. and Götze, N. and Briken, S. and Lederer, C. and Schimpl, M. and Heesen, C. and Daumer, M.",
volume="10",
number="4",
pages="e0123822-e0123822",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Ecological validity implicates in how far clinical assessments refer to real life. Short clinical gait tests up to ten meters and 2- or 6-Minutes Walking Tests (2MWT/6MWT) are used as performance-based outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) studies and considered as moderately associated with real life mobility. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ecological validity of 10 Meter Walking Test (10mWT), 2MWT and 6MWT. <br><br>METHODS: Persons with MS performed 10mWT, 6MWT including 2MWT and 7 recorded days by accelerometry. Ecological validity was assumed if walking tests represented a typical walking sequence in real-life and correlations with accelerometry parameters were strong. <br><br>RESULTS: In this cohort (n=28, medians: age=45, EDSS=3.2, disease duration=9 years), uninterrupted walking of 2 or 6 minutes occurred not frequent in real life (2.61 and 0.35 sequences/day). 10mWT correlated only with slow walking speed quantiles in real life. 2MWT and 6MWT correlated moderately with most real life walking parameters. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Clinical gait tests over a few meters have a poor ecological validity while validity is moderate for 2MWT and 6MWT. Mobile accelerometry offers the opportunity to control and improve the ecological validity of MS mobility outcomes.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1932-6203",
doi="10.1371/journal.pone.0123822",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123822"
}