Revista Brasileira de Atividade Física & Saúde · Oct 19, 2026
Demographic and clinical factors are associated with performance on the 6-minute walk test and the 2-minute step test in Parkinson’s disease
By Kanegusuku H, Silva‐Batista C, Guelfi ÉTN et al.
Introduction: It is still unclear whether comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia impact performance on the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Moreover, the factors associated with performance on the 2-minute step test (2MST) in PD remain unclear. Objective: This study aimed to analyze whether demographic factors, clinical characteristics related to PD, and comorbid conditions are associated factors with performance on the 6MWT and the 2MST in PD. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Associação Brasil Parkinson. 51 individuals (Hoehn & Yahr [H&Y] stages 1-4) performed the 2MST or the 6MWT twice on the same day (“on” state). An interval of at least 5 days was adopted between the assessments (2MST or 6MWT). The number of steps achieved on the 2MST, the 6MWT distance, the percentage of predicted 6MWT in healthy subjects, and the associated factors such as demographic characteristics, body mass index, H&Y stage, the Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating Scale part III score, comorbidities, history of falls, and medication information were obtained. Results: The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the H&Y stage and age were negatively associated with 6MWT performance (adjusted R2 = 0.535, p < 0.001), while only the H&Y stage was negatively associated with the percentage of predicted 6MWT (R2 = 0.419, p < 0.001). Disease duration and age were negatively associated with 2MST performance, whereas male sex was positively associated with 2MST performance (adjusted R2= 0.283, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Advanced age and higher PD severity were associated with worse 6MWT performance, while advanced age and longer disease duration were associated with worse 2MST performance, whereas male sex was associated with better 2MST performance.