The effect of a pacer versus no-pacer on submaximal fitness test results among Special Olympics athletes

Abstract

Using a pacer when administering fitness tests reduces the practicality of testing. Additionally, presuming that a pacer is needed for all Special Olympics athletes is potentially discriminatory. We examined the need for a pacer to enhance performance and the test retest-reliability of the six-minute walk test administered with a pacer (Criterion-m6MWT) and without a pacer (No-pacer 6MWT).  Participants were n=18 Special Olympics athletes (men = 12, Mean age=37 years (SD=10.1) with low support needs. After familiarization, participants completed the Criterion-m6MWT and the No-pacer 6MWT. The order of the tests was randomized. A week later, participants completed these tests again. There were no significant differences between any of the walk distances and both the Criterion-m6MWT and the No-pacer 6MWT had high test-retest reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients =.90 and .93, respectively. The interclass correlation coefficients between the first administration of the Criterion-m6MWT and both of the No-Pacer tests were not as strong (i.e. r=.65 and r=.65) as the relationships between the second administration of the Criterion-m6MWT and both No-Pacer tests (r=.81 and r=.87). These results suggest that adult Special Olympics athletes with relatively low support needs can perform the 6MWT without a pacer if the familiarization process is expanded to include a complete 6MWT.