Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Gamification Effects on the 6-Minute Walk Test in Children

ConditionNeuromuscular Diseases in Children
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age6-12
SponsorDavid Toupin

About this trial

The goal of this study is to learn if adding a game to the 6-minute walk test for children with neuromuscular disorders will increase enjoyment and motivation to complete the test.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Clinical diagnosis of, or active evaluation for, a neuromuscular disorder

Able to ambulate (with or without usual orthoses/assistive device) sufficiently to attempt a 6-minute walk.

Note: Acceptable if the patient needs to take breaks or sit during the test. Those unable to finish are counted as protocol deviations, not exclusions.

Medically stable on the test day (no acute illness or recent surgery that would contraindicate moderate exercise).

Disqualifiers

Non-ambulatory or unsafe to attempt walking as judged by the treating physician.

Severe cognitive/behavioral impairment that precludes following instructions.

Acute cardiopulmonary, orthopedic, or other medical condition that makes walking unsafe on the test day.

Non-English-speaking family (materials are available only in English for this pilot).

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Standard 6MWT

    Other intervention

    ATS-standard instructions, no electronic system; Conducted in hallway measuring total length of 90ft (27.4 meters). Patients will walk down-and-back. A seated rest period of ≥10 min separates the two tests to minimize fatigue carry-over.

  • Gamified 6MWT

    Other intervention

    identical course but child carries a RFID tag; at each lap the child taps an on an RFID reader, awarding a point and leveling-up an on-screen avatar; Conducted in hallway measuring total length of 90ft (27.4 meters). Patients will walk down-and-back.A seated rest period of ≥10 min separates the two tests to minimize fatigue carry-over.

Treatment groups

20 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Gamified testExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Standard testActive comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Change in 6 minute walk distance

Participants will walk back and forth in the clinic hallway for 6 minutes and distance will be recorded in meters

Time frame
Baseline and post intervention (approximately 20 minutes)

Secondary outcomes

1

Change in Children's OMNI Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale

The OMNI RPE scale is a visual and numerical tool from 0-10 that helps individuals subjectively gauge the intensity of walking or running activity, with 0 representing no effort and 10 being maximal exertion.

Time frame
Baseline and post intervention (approximately 20 minutes)
2

Change in Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES)

The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) consists of 8 questions scored on a scale from 1 to 7, with a maximum score of 56 and a minimum score of 8. Higher scores indicate greater enjoyment of physical activity.

Time frame
Baseline and post intervention (approximately 20 minutes)
3

Recruitment Rate

percent of eligible participants successfully recruited in the study

Time frame
9 months
4

Test completion rate

number of walk tests successfully completed compared to overall number of walk tests

Time frame
9 months

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

David Toupin

Lead sponsor

University of Kentucky

Sponsor institution

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
Apply now