Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether body composition and lower extremity strength
relate to oxygen cost of walking in children with cerebral palsy (CP), and to
evaluate the relative contributions of these measures to explain variation in
oxygen cost seen in this population. METHODS:
A total of 116 children with
spastic diplegic CP, Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I-III,
aged 8-18 participated. Strength, body composition (body mass index (BMI) and
percent body fat) and oxygen cost were recorded. Pearson correlations assessed
relationships between variables of body composition and strength to oxygen cost.
Forward stepwise linear regression analyzed variance explained by strength and
body composition measures. Oxygen data were analyzed by weight status
classifications using one-way analysis of variance with significance set at
p<0.05. RESULTS: Total strength (r=-0.27) and total extensor strength (r=-0.27)
had fair inverse relationships with oxygen cost. Total extensor strength
explained 7.5% (r(2)=0.075, beta=-0.274, p<0.01) of the variance in oxygen cost.
Body composition did not explain significant variance in oxygen cost, however
significant differences were found in oxygen consumption (p=0.003) and walking
velocity (p=0.042) based on BMI weight classifications. CONCLUSIONS: For
ambulatory children with CP, oxygen cost during walking can be partially
explained by total extensor strength and not body composition. However, those
categorized as obese may adjust to a slower walking speed to keep their oxygen
cost sustainable, which may further affect their ability to keep up with
typically developing peers and possibly lead to greater fatigue.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS