Test-retest reliability of a 1-min walk test in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP)

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder affecting motor skills.
• Assessing functional mobility in children with CP is crucial for intervention planning.
• The 1-minute walk test (1MWT) is a potential tool for evaluating functional capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the test-retest reliability of the 1-minute walk test (1MWT) in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP).
• To evaluate the impact of a practice walk on the reliability of the 1MWT in this population.

Main Methods:

• The study included 17 children (12 male, 5 female) with BSCP, aged 3-18 years.
• Participants were classified according to Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I, II, and III.
• Test-retest reliability was assessed by performing the 1MWT on different days, with and without a practice walk.

Main Results:

• The 1MWT demonstrated high test-retest reliability, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.94.
• For 95% of participants, walk test distances varied by no more than 13.1 meters between sessions.
• A practice walk significantly reduced systematic bias in the test results.

Conclusions:

• The 1-minute walk test is a reliable measure for assessing functional mobility in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy.
• Clinicians should consider the impact of practice effects when interpreting changes in individual patient data from the 1MWT.
• The 1MWT can be a valuable tool in the management and monitoring of children with BSCP.