Physical activity in young children with cerebral palsy compared to typically developing peers

Higher levels of physical activity have benefits for people of all ages, especially children, yet little is known about physical activity in young children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to measure physical activity in young, nonambulatory children with CP compared to their peers with typical development (TD). Physical activity for children with CP (n = 29, M = 22.5, SD = 6.7 months) and TD (n = 21, M = 10.6, SD = 1.5 months) was recorded using a wearable sensor during at least 60 min of floor-play. Group differences in the amount of physical activity and the percent of active (vs sedentary) time between children with TD and CP and across subgroups of children with CP by gross motor functional classification scale (GMFCS) level were evaluated using Kruskal–Wallis and pairwise comparisons. Significant group differences were observed in both physical activity metrics between the TD and CP cohorts and across GMFCS levels. Even when matched by developmental milestone achievement (pull to stand), the CP cohort continued to have a lower amount and percentage of physically active time compared to the TD cohort. These findings highlight the differences in physical activity between children with CP and TD, despite similar opportunities and motor skills and are important to consider when developing interventions targeting physical activity and broader health outcomes in children with CP.