Article

Testing aerobic fitness in youth is important because of expected
relationships with health. Objective: The purpose of the study was to estimate
the validity and reliability of the Shuttle Ride Test in youth who have spina
bifida and use a wheelchair for mobility and sport.
Design: Ths study is a
validity and reliability study. Methods: The Shuttle Ride Test, Graded Wheelchair
Propulsion Test, and skill-related fitness tests were administered to 33
participants for the validity study (age = 14.5 +/- 3.1 y) and to 28 participants
for the reliability study (age = 14.7 +/- 3.3 y). Results: No significant
differences were found between the Graded Wheelchair Propulsion Test and the
Shuttle Ride Test for most cardiorespiratory responses. Correlations between the
Graded Wheelchair Propulsion Test and the Shuttle Ride Test were moderate to high
(r = .55-.97). The variance in peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) could be predicted
for 77% of the participants by height, number of shuttles completed, and weight,
with large prediction intervals. High correlations were found between number of
shuttles completed and skill-related fitness tests (CI = .73 to -.92). Intraclass
correlation coefficients were high (.77-.98), with a smallest detectable change
of 1.5 for number of shuttles completed and with coefficients of variation of
6.2% and 6.4% for absolute VO2peak and relative VO2peak, respectively.
Conclusions: When measuring VO2peak directly by using a mobile gas analysis
system, the Shuttle Ride Test is highly valid for testing VO2peak in youth who
have spina bifida and use a wheelchair for mobility and sport. The outcome
measure of number of shuttles represents aerobic fitness and is also highly
correlated with both anaerobic performance and agility. It is not possible to
predict VO2peak accurately by using the number of shuttles completed. Moreover,
the Shuttle Ride Test is highly reliable in youth with spina bifida, with a good
smallest detectable change for the number of shuttles completed.

Langue : ANGLAIS