Article

Despite the health benefits of regular physical activity, children
with cerebral palsy (CP) are thought to participate in reduced levels of physical
activity. The study objective was to assess physical activity and
determine the proportion adhering to the recommended 60 minutes of
moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily in independently ambulant
children and adolescents with unilateral CP. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional
study. METHOD: Children (N=102; 52 boys, 50 girls; mean age=11 years 3 months,
SD=2 years 4 months) with spastic hemiplegia classified at Gross Motor Function
Classification System (GMFCS) levels I (n=44) and II (n=58) recorded physical
activity over 4 days using an accelerometer. Activity counts were converted to
daily and hourly time spent inactive and in light physical activity or MVPA using
uniaxial cutpoints (inactive: </=100 vertical counts.min(-1), light: 101 to 2,295
vertical counts.min(-1), MVPA: >/=2,296 vertical counts.min(-1)) and recorded
step counts. Differences between groups were examined using t tests. RESULTS: Of
a potential 396 days, 341 days (86%) were recorded. The average wear time was
11:44 (SD=1:56) hours. On a typical day, participants recorded 438 (SD=234)
counts.min(-1), took 7,541 (SD=3,894) steps, spent 8:36 (SD=1:09) hours inactive,
spent 2:38 (SD=0:51) hours in light activity, and spent 0:44 (SD=0:26) hours in
MVPA. Only 25% of participants met the recommended level of MVPA on at least one
day. Physical activity was highest in boys (versus girls), in children (versus
adolescents), and on weekdays (versus weekends). LIMITATIONS: Participants were
limited to children with unilateral spasticity who were classified at GMFCS
levels I and II. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of independently ambulant children
with unilateral CP did not perform sufficient physical activity to meet public
health recommendations.
CI - (c) 2015 American Physical Therapy Association.

Langue : ANGLAIS