Physical activity patterns in children with cerebral palsy and typically developing peers

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Movement Science

Background:

• Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often face challenges in physical activity participation.
• Understanding physical activity levels is crucial for managing CP and promoting overall health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare physical activity levels between children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) and typically developing (TD) peers.
• To evaluate the utility of accelerometers and activity diaries in assessing physical activity in children with CP.

Main Methods:

• Twenty children with spastic CP (GMFCS Level I-II) and 20 age/sex-matched TD children participated.
• Physical activity was measured over 4 days using accelerometers and activity diaries.
• Data included total energy expenditure and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Main Results:

• Children with CP demonstrated significantly lower physical activity energy expenditure and moderate-to-vigorous activity compared to TD peers.
• Both accelerometer and activity diary data showed lower activity levels in children with CP.
• A strong correlation was found between accelerometer and activity diary data for total energy expenditure in both groups.

Conclusions:

• Children with CP have reduced physical activity levels compared to their TD counterparts.
• Activity diaries are a valid and informative tool for assessing physical activity in children with CP.
• Findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to enhance physical activity in children with CP.