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Published on: June 5, 2019
Children with cerebral palsy do not achieve healthy physical activity levels
L U Bratteby Tollerz1,2, A H Forslund1,2, R M Olsson1,2
1Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy have lower daily activity energy expenditure (AEE) and physical activity levels compared to their peers. Self-reports overestimated activity in both groups.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Kinesiology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often face challenges in physical activity.
- Understanding their daily energy expenditure is crucial for health management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare daily activity energy expenditure (AEE) in children with bilateral CP versus a control group.
- To assess if children with CP meet recommended physical activity levels.
Main Methods:
- Eight children (8-10 years) with bilateral CP and age/gender-matched controls participated.
- Activity was measured over three days using accelerometers and self-report diaries.
- Daily AEE was compared between groups and measurement methods.
Main Results:
- Children with CP exhibited significantly lower daily AEE than controls, measured by accelerometers.
- Neither group achieved the moderate to heavy physical activity levels recommended.
- Diary self-reports consistently overestimated physical activity compared to accelerometer data in both groups.
Conclusions:
- Children with CP demonstrate notably low daily AEE and physical activity levels.
- Accelerometers provide a more accurate measure of physical activity than self-report diaries.
- Interventions promoting physical activity in children with CP are warranted.
Aim:
This study compared daily activity energy expenditure (AEE) in children with cerebral palsy with a control group and investigated whether the children achieved healthy levels of physical activity.
Methods:
We enrolled eight children with bilateral cerebral palsy, from eight to 10 years of age, and a group of controls matched for age and gender. For three days, physical activity was simultaneously measured by accelerometers and self-reports using a diary. The daily AEE results were compared between groups and methods. The number of children that achieved healthy physical activity levels in each group was explored.
Results:
Children with cerebral palsy had significantly lower daily AEE, as measured by accelerometers, than the controls, and they did not achieve the healthy moderate to heavy physical activity level defined in the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. Self-reports using the diaries resulted in an overestimation of physical activity compared with the ankle accelerometer measurements in both groups.
Conclusion:
Our investigation of physical activity in children with cerebral palsy and controls using accelerometers and a diary found low levels of daily AEE and physical activity, and these results were most prominent in the group with cerebral palsy. The diaries overestimated physical activity in both groups.
