Which is the most common rest interval for the incremental shuttle walking test in different populations? A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction. The incremental shuttle walking test (iSWT) has been widely used in different health conditions. Because of the learning effect, the test should be performed at least twice. However, there is no formal recommendation or consensus on the rest interval that should be used between the tests. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically review the most common rest intervals applied for iSWT in adult and elderly individuals with different health conditions. Methods. We performed a systematic review based on the PRiSMA protocol, registered in PRoSPERo. Searches were conducted in 8 electronic databases (MEdLiNE via PubMed and ovidSP, PEdro, LiLACS, SciELo, Cochrane, CiNAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus) by using specific terms. Results. We initially found 1538 references, of which 75 met the inclusion criteria. Numerous studies did not report the rest interval between the tests and therefore could not be included in the review. of the 75 studies, 41 evaluated individuals with respiratory dysfunctions, mainly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Most of them (n = 57) used a 30-minute interval, followed by a 20-minute interval (n = 6) and a 15-minute interval (n = 4). Conclusions. This systematic review demonstrates that many studies did not point out the rest interval for iSWT. Although there was a predominance of a 30-minute interval between the tests, future research is needed to understand the implications of the resting interval on iSWT outcomes.