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Habitual Physical Activity in Children With Cerebral Palsy Aged 4 to 5 Years Across All Functional Abilities
Piyapa Keawutan1, Kristie L Bell, Stina Oftedal
1Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, UQ Child Health Research Centre (Mss Keawutan and Oftedal and Drs Bell and Boyd), Children's Nutrition Research Centre (Ms Oftedal and Dr Davies), Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability (Dr Ware), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Dietetics and Food Services (Dr Bell), Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, Children's Health Queensland, South Brisbane, Australia; Menzies Health Institute Queensland (Dr Ware), Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 4-5 years spend over half their waking hours sedentary. Independent ambulant children with CP were more active and likely to meet physical activity guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physical therapy
- Childhood disability research
- Movement science in cerebral palsy
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts motor function and daily activity.
- Understanding physical activity levels and sedentary behavior is crucial for managing CP in early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare ambulatory status with habitual physical activity and sedentary time in 4- to 5-year-old children with CP.
- To assess adherence to physical activity guidelines among different ambulatory groups.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-seven children with CP (independent, marginal, non-ambulant) wore accelerometers for 3 days.
- Analysis compared time spent sedentary and activity counts across ambulatory groups.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in sedentary time and activity counts were observed between ambulatory groups.
- Independently ambulant children with CP showed higher physical activity levels and greater likelihood of meeting guidelines.
Conclusions:
- Children with CP aged 4-5 years exhibit substantial sedentary behavior, exceeding half of their waking hours.
- Interventions targeting reduced sedentary time and increased physical activity are essential for this population.
Purpose:
To compare ambulatory status in children with cerebral palsy aged 4 to 5 years with their habitual physical activity and time spent sedentary, and to compare their activity with physical activity guidelines.
Methods:
Sixty-seven participants-independently ambulant, marginally ambulant, and nonambulant-wore accelerometers for 3 days. Time spent sedentary as a percentage of wear time and activity counts were compared between groups.
Results:
There were significant differences in time spent sedentary and activity counts between groups. Children who were independently ambulant were more likely to meet physical activity guidelines.
Conclusion:
Children with cerebral palsy spent more than half of their waking hours in sedentary time. Interventions to reduce sedentary behavior and increase habitual physical activity are needed in children with cerebral palsy at age 4 to 5 years.
