The PAY test: a new approach for assessing functional performance in children and adolescents with asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To develop, validate, and test the reproducibility of a new test capable of assessing functional performance in children and adolescents (PAY test: Performance Activity in Youth).

METHODS: participants without and with asthma were included in the development and validation phases, respectively. The PAY test includes five activities: transition from sitting to standing, walking 10 m, step climbing, shoulder extension and flexion, and star jumps. Participants underwent the Pediatric Glittre test (TGlittre-P), modified shuttle test (MST), and cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET).

OUTCOMES: PAY test time, oxygen uptake (VO2peak ), and distance walked in the MST.

RESULTS: 8 healthy volunteers, aged 12 (7 - 15) years old were included in the development phase and 32 participants with asthma, aged 11 (7 -14) years old, in the validation phase. The PAY test elicited greater physiological responses (VO2peak 33.5 ± 6.9 mL/kg) than the TGlittre-P (VO2peak : 27.4 ± 9.0 mL/kg), but lower than the MST (VO2peak : 48.9 ± 14.2 mL/kg) and CPET (VO2peak : 42.0 ± 8.8 mL/kg), p < .05. A moderate correlation between the PAY test time and the TGlittre-P time (r = 0.70, p < .001) and distance walked in the MST (r = -0.72, p < .001). The PAY test time was longer in participants with asthma than in healthy participants (3.1 [3.0 - 3.3] min vs. 2.3 [2.1 - 2.4 min]), p < .001.; and it was reproducible (ICC 0.78, CI 95% 0.55-0.90, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: The PAY test is a valid and reproducible tool for assessing functional performance in children and adolescents with asthma.