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Health status of children with cerebral palsy living in Europe: a multi-centre study
E Beckung1, M White-Koning, M Marcelli
1Department of Paediatrics, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden. beckung@vgregion.se
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience variable health status, with gross motor function significantly impacting physical well-being. Psychosocial health is also affected, highlighting the complex needs of these children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Neurology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) affects children's health status, necessitating comprehensive assessment.
- The Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) is a validated tool for measuring children's health perceptions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the health status of European children aged 8-12 with cerebral palsy (CP) using the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ).
- To identify factors influencing the physical (PHY) and psychosocial (PSY) health of children with CP.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 818 children with CP across nine European centers participated.
- Data collected included CP type, motor function, additional impairments, and family information.
- The CHQ measured parent-reported physical and psychosocial health outcomes.
Main Results:
- Children with CP generally had lower physical health scores compared to reference samples.
- Gross motor function, fine motor function, intellectual impairment, and seizures significantly impacted CHQ scores.
- Multivariate analysis identified gross motor function, cognitive level, and school type as key prognostic factors.
Conclusions:
- This study represents the largest sample of children with CP assessed using the CHQ.
- Health status in children with CP is highly variable and influenced by multiple factors.
- While gross motor function correlates with physical health, psychosocial well-being shows a less direct relationship.
Aim:
The aim of this report is to describe the health status of 8-12-year-old children with cerebral palsy (CP) of all severities in Europe using the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ).
Method:
A total of 818 children with CP from nine centres in defined geographical areas participated. CP type, gross and fine motor function, additional impairments were classified and family data were obtained. The CHQ was used to measure the parent's perception of their child's physical (PHY) and psychosocial (PSY) health.
Results:
PHY scores were lower than the reference samples with a median of 46. The severity of gross motor function influenced the CHQ scores significantly in the PHY scale with the lowest scores for children with least gross motor function. There were significant differences between the CP types in PHY with the higher scores for children with unilateral spastic and the lowest scores for children with bilateral spastic and dyskinetic CP type. Fine motor function severity significantly affected both the PHY and PSY scales. The severity of intellectual impairment was significantly associated with CHQ scores in most dimensions with higher scores for higher IQ level in PHY and PSY. Children with seizures during the last year had a significantly lower health compared with children without seizures. The results of the multivariate regression analyses (forward stepwise regression) of CHQ scores on CP subtype, gross and fine motor function, cognitive function, additional impairments, seizures, parental education and employment revealed gross motor function, cognitive level and type of school attended were significant prognostic factors.
Conclusion:
This report is based on the largest sample to date of children with CP. Health status as measured using the CHQ was affected in all children and was highly variable. Gross motor function level correlates with health from the PHY well-being perspective but the PSY and emotional aspects do not appear to follow the same pattern.
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