Wheelchair Shuttle Test for Assessing Aerobic Fitness in Youth With Spina Bifida: Validity and Reliability.

Only 33 participants had both the laboratory and field tests, and only 38 participants were used for the prediction equation, so the findings are tentative. The study used signs of intense effort to decide whether a child had given maximal effort, because standard objective criteria may not apply to youth who use wheelchairs. Some participants did not reach maximal effort on one or both tests, and the paper did not identify which children the Shuttle Ride Test cannot be used for. The regression equation had large individual prediction intervals, so it should not be used for one child. Wheelchair rolling resistance, internal resistance, and configuration were not measured. The tests were done in the child's own wheelchair with maximum tire pressure and on the same floor, so other wheelchair setups may behave differently.

Do not use the regression equation to estimate one child's peak oxygen uptake from shuttles, height, and weight. The individual prediction intervals were large, and the authors recommend using mobile gas analysis instead.