Abstract
Objective
To examine the relation between walking performance and participation in mobility-related
habits of daily life in children with cerebral palsy (CP). To date, walking outcomes
in CP have been capacity-based (what a child does in structured setting). Physical
activity performance (what a child really does in daily life) has been documented
to affect the relation of capacity-based gross motor measures and participation.
Design
Cross-sectional prospective cohort study.
Setting
Regional pediatric specialty care centers.
Participants
A cohort of ambulatory children with CP (N=128; age, 2 to 9y; 41% girls; 49% having
hemiplegia) participated.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Walking performance was quantified from a 5-day sample of accelerometry data. Stride
activity was summarized through the outcomes of the average number of total strides
per day (independent of intensity) and the average number of total strides per day
at >30 strides/min (marker of intensity). Mobility-based participation was assessed
by using the Assessment of Life Habits for Children questionnaire categories of personal
care, housing, mobility, and recreation. Regression models were developed controlling
for sex, age, cognition, communication, pain, and body composition.
Results
The average number of total strides per day was positively associated with the personal
care, housing, mobility, and recreation Assessment of Life Habits for Children questionnaire
categories (β=.34–.41, P<.001). The average number of total strides per day at >30 strides/min was associated
with all categories (β=.54–.60, P<.001).
Conclusions
Accelerometry-based walking activity performance is significantly associated with
levels of participation in mobility-based life habits for ambulatory children with
CP. Evaluation of other factors and the direction of the relation within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health is warranted to inform rehabilitation strategies.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CP (cerebral palsy), GMFCS (Gross Motor Function Classification System), ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health), LIFE-H (Assessment of Life Habits—Child version)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 13, 2013
Footnotes
Supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH; grant no. K23 HD060764) and by the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH (grant no. UL1RR025014). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has conferred or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
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Copyright
© 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
