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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Assessment of Physical Activity Intensity with Accelerometers and Oxygen Consumption
Published on: June 20, 2025
Oxygen cost versus a 1-minute walk test in a population of children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy
Claire Kerr1, Brona C McDowell, Aidan Cosgrove
1Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland. claire.kerr@greenpark.n-i.nhs.uk
Insights
The 1-minute fast walk test can estimate oxygen consumption in children with cerebral palsy. This gait analysis offers insights into energy efficiency when advanced equipment is unavailable.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomechanical Engineering
Background:
- Direct measurement of oxygen consumption is challenging in pediatric populations.
- Proxy measures are utilized to assess energy efficiency in children with cerebral palsy.
- Understanding gait efficiency is crucial for optimizing interventions in children with cerebral palsy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the correlation between a 1-minute fast walk test and oxygen (O2) cost.
- To assess the utility of the 1-minute fast walk test as a proxy for energy expenditure in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy.
Main Methods:
- Eighty-four children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy participated.
- Seventy-seven children completed a 1-minute fast walk test.
- Forty-seven children underwent an oxygen consumption protocol.
- Data were analyzed for relationships between walk test performance and O2 cost across Gross Motor Function Classification System levels.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in walk test performance and O2 cost were observed across Gross Motor Function Classification System levels (P < 0.001).
- A significant, moderate quadratic relationship was found between 1-minute fast walk test distance and net O2 cost (adjusted r = 0.477; P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- The 1-minute fast walk test may serve as a valuable tool for assessing gait efficiency in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy.
- This accessible test can provide insights into energy expenditure in settings lacking sophisticated measurement equipment.
- Further research is needed to establish the reliability and responsiveness of the 1-minute fast walk test for this population.
Abstract:
Difficulties with direct measurement of oxygen (O2) consumption have led to the use of simpler proxy measures to estimate energy efficiency in children with cerebral palsy. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between a fast 1-minute walk test and O2 cost in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. Eighty-four children (31 girls, 53 boys; mean age, 10 years 11 months; Gross Motor Function Classification System level I n = 8, level II n = 41, level III n = 21, level IV n = 14) were eligible to participate in the study. Seventy-seven children completed the walk test and 47 children completed the O2 consumption protocol. Results showed significant differences between Gross Motor Function Classification System levels for both tests (P < 0.001) and a significant moderate quadratic relationship between the distance covered during the 1-minute fast-walk test and the net O2 cost (adjusted r = 0.477; P < 0.001). The 1-minute fast-walk test may provide useful information on the efficiency of gait in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy in the absence of more sophisticated equipment; however, further work is required to address its reliability and responsiveness.
