The association between motor capacity and motor performance in school-aged children with cerebral palsy: An observational study

Authors

Min-Hwa Suk
In-Kyeong Park
Soojin Yoo, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Jeong-Yi Kwon

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2021

Abstract

Background

This study aimed to investigate the association between motor capacity and motor performance in children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 6–12 years with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to III.

Methods

Forty-six children with CP (24 boys and 22 girls) classified as GMFCS levels Ⅰ, Ⅱ, or Ⅲ were included. Motor capacity was measured by the Gross motor function measure (GMFM), Pediatric balance scale (PBS), Timed up and go (TUG), and 6-min walk test (6MWT). Motor performance was measured by triaxial accelerometers. Estimations of physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) (kcal/kg/day), percentage of time spent on physical activity (% sedentary physical activity; %SPA; % light physical activity, %LPA; % moderate physical activity, %MPA; % vigorous physical activity %VPA; and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, %MVPA), and activity counts (counts/minute) were obtained.

Results

Children with GMFCS level I showed a significantly higher motor capacity (GMFM-66, GMFM-88, D-dimension and E-dimension, PBS and 6MWT) than those with level II or III. Children with GMFCS level II and/or III had significantly lower physical activity (PAEE, % MPA, % VPA, %MVPA, and activity counts) than children with GMFCS level I. Multiple linear regression analysis (dependent variable, GMFM-66) showed that %MVPA was positively associated with GMFM-66 in the GMFCS level II & III children but not in GMFCS level I children.

Comments

© 2021 The Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness. Published by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Recommended Citation

Suk, M.-H., Park, I.-K., Yoo, S., & Kwon, J.-Y. (2021). The association between motor capacity and motor performance in school-aged children with cerebral palsy: An observational study. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 19(4), 223–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2021.07.002

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.1016/j.jesf.2021.07.002